


Fragile as Glass

by Pinkwebby



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Damaged Biocomponents (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Gavin Reed Being an Asshole, Hank Anderson Swears, Hank Anderson and Connor Live Together, Hank Anderson is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Not Beta Read, Original Character Death(s), Post-Canon, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Self-Doubt, Slow Burn, Thirium (Detroit: Become Human), Violence Against Androids (Detroit: Become Human), or at least I'm trying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 19:40:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20345605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkwebby/pseuds/Pinkwebby
Summary: Deviants are being murdered, and Hank & Connor have been assigned the cases.





	1. Despite Reckoning, he commits evil deeds

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first DBH fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy. Tags will be updated and the rating will probably be too as the story progresses. :]

###  Chapter One:

Human sleep was an anomaly. More so, humans were an anomaly. When Markus spoke of how fragile humans were, Connor let out a snort, which genuinely surprised them both. Markus hadn’t met Hank Anderson yet, who was far from fragile in a physical sense. But, in a way, humans seemed delicate. They had to eat, to sleep. How does one sleep? Connor had wanted to figure that out since moving in with the lieutenant but was still puzzled at the act. 

Sure, he could power down for a couple hours, go dormant, per say. But that wasn’t what human sleep was. They closed their eyes, their whole body relaxing and their mind drifting away. Connor’s mind didn’t go anywhere while he ‘slept’. And nothing beneficial came of going dormant for him, while a good night’s sleep had many benefits for humans, too many to list.

So, Connor, unsure of what to do when the night rolled around, always milled around Hank’s house. The man had a habit of falling asleep on the couch, either passed out from an ethylic coma, or what he called ‘being fucking drunk’, or just from exhaustion. The android was constantly wondering why Hank didn’t use his actual bed. Wasn’t that what they were made for? Connor had never used a bed, never had a reason too, but he assumed they were much more comfortable than Hank’s lumpy, old couch. Nevertheless, Connor didn’t bother the lieutenant.

It was probably a month after living with the human, that he began to watch him sleep. At first, he tried to play with Sumo at night, taking him outside to stretch his legs or ‘play fetch’. Many databases said dogs needed exercise and it was clear that Hank didn’t take Sumo out. But the Saint Bernard began to grow tired of going out and would refuse to even get up when Connor called him.

Connor thought about just going out and doing something during the night. But…he was—worried, about Hank. One of the many emotions he wasn’t used too. Many thoughts ran through the android’s head when he thought of leaving the lieutenant alone, most scenarios of what could happen while he was gone. With the history known about Hank Anderson, he had a right to be worried, even if he didn’t understand why he was feeling it.

One night, Connor just sat down in the love-seat next to the couch. The loud, rumbling snore coming from Hank reminded him that he should order those nasal strips that stop snoring. From what he read, it seems that other causes can make a human snore as well, such as alcohol consumption. And Connor knew that Hank would never stop drinking.

He looked upon Hank’s sleeping form, eyes adjusting to the TV's light, so it wasn’t as bright. The human was sprawled across the couch, wearing nothing but a pair of cotton briefs and a stained t-shirt. Connor’s eyes trailed across Hank’s body, as if analyzing him. The light on his LED turned yellow, blinking a few times before turning back to blue.

As if the lieutenant felt eyes staring at him, rolled over so his face was pressed against the leather couch cushion behind him. This went on until milky rays of light poured in from the windows, bringing Connor out of his trance. He stood up, moving away from Hank. He knew that if the man spotted him watching him sleep, he would be reprimanded. So, every night, Connor sat down in his usual seat and watched Hank sleep. And then he would get up as the sun began to rise and go back to his daily routine.

“Good morning, lieutenant. I made you breakfast,” Connor turned around to look at the human, who had gotten up to sit at the kitchen island. The man’s hair was a mess, eyes bleary as he turned his head up slightly to look at the android.

“Connor, I told you, you don’t have to make me breakfast. I just need coffee,” Hank grumbled, pushing his grey hair out of his face and rubbing his eyes furiously.

“I read that a good breakfast can help humans get over hangovers quicker. I hope this will be sufficient,” He set down a plate of sunny-side up eggs and bacon. Connor turned around, opening the worn cabinet above his head and pulling down a chipped, striped mug. When he had turned back around, Hank was watching him silently, still not having touched the food made.

“Is there something wrong with what I have made you?” Connor asked worriedly, setting down the mug and pouring fresh coffee into it.

The man let out a sigh, shaking his head. “There’s nothing wrong with it, Connor. Jesus Christ. You’re just actin’ like a normal fucking android. Ya don’t have to make me breakfast every day, you don’t have to do anything for me!”

There was a moment of processing, the android staring down Anderson without a word. The LED on the side of his head blinking yellow for a good couple of seconds.

“You…don’t like when I make you breakfast? Should I stop?” Connor asked, voice almost timid.

He let out a groan, shaking his head. “Fuck, that’s not what I’m saying! You don’t have to stop if it’s something you like to do. I just don’t want you doin’ it because you’re programmed too, that’s all! You aren’t a machine anymore; you have free will.”

Connor glanced down at the food, eyebrows scrunching for a moment. He wasn’t sure he completely understood what Hank was trying to tell him. That just left many questions in his head that he didn’t have answers for. Such as, ‘do I actually like making breakfast for Hank?’ or ‘am I doing this because I am still just an android coded to do this?’. When he looked back up, he saw the human was looking at him expectantly, as if he wanted Connor to say something.

The android opened and closed his mouth, still unsure. “Well, Hank, I still am a machine. But I guess…. I…. like to make breakfast for you? It gives me something to do in the morning before work. Though if it displeases you, lieutenant, I can certainly stop,” He added in a teasing tone.

The man was quick to throw up his hands in defense, shaking his head like a dog shaking off water. “N-no! Shit, I mean…. You make good eggs,” he mumbled, picking up his fork. Connor watched him eat, the corner of his mouth lifting to form a half-smile.

“Quit staring at me, dammit! Why don’t you go get dressed or something! Take a shower, whatever!” Hank barked out with that annoyed tone of his, giving Connor a bewildered look. The android chuckled, nodding once.

“I will go shower,” He rumbled out, setting the coffee pot next to Hank before leaving the kitchen. Another clear reason why Connor would never tell Hank that he was watching him sleep. The man would be weirded out, would most likely say something about him being an android.

Usually, when Hank made some snide, rude comment about androids or when he used to say things to Connor himself, it didn’t bother him. But now, it felt different. With emotions, it became harder and harder to tolerate them. Hank was trying to change how he spoke about androids, perhaps seeing them in a different light after the revolution?

It had only been 4 months after Markus peacefully protested in front of rows of SWAT, and they backed down. It was an exciting time for Markus and Connor both. They worked together for a while, reaching out to other androids in hiding and being sold, asking for manufacturers to hand them over. It has been an up-hill battle, as humans would say. Humans were protesting violently, not wanting to lose their androids, their slaves. Though a lot of others were rallying against those who would see androids put back in their places. Humans inspired by Markus’ peaceful uprising, protesting that androids deserve to be free.

Markus was busy all the time, meetings, peace talks, speeches across the country. With North and Simon at his back, they made a formidable team. One that Connor declined to join once they were leaving Detroit. Connor wasn’t exactly sure why he decided to not join them, he made the excuse that he still worked for the police, but there was some deeper connection he had here. This was home, no matter how broken.

Hank’s shower was squeaky clean, courtesy of Connor. But the showerhead was crooked, and the stream from it was a bit much. But the android didn’t mind. Androids in general didn’t need to clean themselves unless something on them was damaged, leaking thirium. They never really took up a smell unless they were subjected to it for 50 years or more. But Connor had grown accustomed to taking one once a week at least. It made Hank happy, and the hot water felt good against his skin.

Connor did have the problem of staying in the shower for long periods of time when he got around to getting in. He could spend hours under the hot water, though it did turn cold after a couple hours. Apparently, this also racked up Hank’s water bill, and he reprimanded Connor for doing it. So, he tried to keep it to an hour at the most.

He stayed in the shower for more than an hour today, but he had to get out eventually. Notifications kept popping up that he was overheating, and they were getting quite annoying. He stepped out of the shower and picked up his discarded clothes, wrapping a grey towel firmly around his waist.

There were three bedrooms within Hank’s house, surprisingly enough. Connor believed this place was only two-bedroom, one bath. At first, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stay within Hank’s house. The lieutenant had insisted that Connor have his own room though the android argued he didn’t need a space of his own. The only logical room he could’ve stayed in was Cole’s room, and he flat-out refused to stay in the child’s room. It was too precious to Hank.

Having a bedroom had its perks though. With a twin-sized bed, dresser, and a desk, it was rather comfy in the android’s opinion. Having been a cluttered storage room before, it was getting better use with someone living in it. It looked ‘not lived in’, with white sheets made over the bed and everything with a thin layer of dust over it. That didn’t bother Connor though, as he only used it on occasion.

He went inside and shut the door with a click, setting his clothes on the desk and taking the towel from around his waist to dry off his synthetic hair. There were hand-me-down clothes in the dresser and closet, courtesy of Hank. Things from the man’s younger days that didn’t fit him anymore. They would have to get him clothes when the android riots settled down. Though the uniform he usually wore felt the best, Connor was certain if he wore those outside right now? He could possibly be harmed by protesters or worse. He was already putting himself in danger by leaving on his LED.

Picking up his briefs, he slid into them, smoothing back his hair with his hand while perusing the old clothes he had. It was in the middle of winter; it was probably best to wear something warm lest he wants the cold temperatures to hinder his physical movements. As he was pondering this, he heard one knock on the door before Hank burst into the room, his house phone clutched his fist.

“Lieutenant? What’s wrong?” Connor questioned, eyebrows raising.

“We have a case, an android- ah, Jesus, why are you naked?!” Hank immediately covered his eyes, blood rushing to his cheeks and turning them red.

Connor tilted his head, glancing down to make sure that he was indeed wearing his underwear. “I’m not naked, Hank. I was getting dressed after my shower. The one you told me to take, remember?”

“Yea, I remember! J-just get dressed, we need to head out to the crime scene as soon as possible!” Hank said, taking a couple steps back with his eyes still closed.

Connor had no problem with Hank seeing him like this, especially since he really wasn’t naked. But this was an embarrassing moment for the human, proven by his red cheeks and the sweat forming on his palms. It was rather amusing.

“I will get dressed then,” He stated as Hank stepped out and shut the door with a loud thud.

Connor dressed himself in a DPD grey sweatshirt that was extremely baggy on his small frame, and his black pants from his uniform. There was no way he could wear Hank’s pants, even from when he was younger. The man seemed to be muscular and heavy-set even in his old pictures.

“Where are we going?”

“A warehouse down by some docks. Apparently, an android was murdered,” Hank explained as they were driving.

“We’re investigating an android’s death?” Connor questioned, surprised.

“Agh, well…it’s a part of Fowler’s new program to support the deviants. He was always a kiss ass. He vowed that the Detroit Police would investigate any android murder and arrest the person responsible for them,” Hank scratched the back of his head.

“And why did you accept the case?” He asked after a moment, “You don’t like androids.”

The man let out a cough, keeping his eyes firmly on the road. “I never fucking said that I didn’t like androids.”

“You’ve made it rather clear, lieutenant,” Connor responded calmly, keeping his brown eyes on him.

There it was again. Blood rushing to Hank’s face, turning his cheeks and ears a shade of crimson. Blush was usually a sign of arousal or embarrassment, and Hank seemed to be blushing a lot lately. Connor doubted it was because he was aroused, so it was because he was embarrassed. Does he feel guilty for the way he talks about androids? Or maybe it was something deeper?

The rest of the ride was silent, snow flurries were falling from the sky, but they weren't sticking to the ground just yet. It was only October, but the weather was freezing. Enough that if androids stayed outside for long periods of time, their joints would become stiff and their parts may malfunction.

Connor had never been in a warehouse before, unless you could count Cyberlife tower as a warehouse. They did house dormant androids inside, so it could be considered a warehouse of sorts. This place was…dirtier. Being on a seemingly poverty-stricken side of town, it was falling apart next to a couple other large buildings. When they got out of the car, it smelled of the ocean, and Connor could hear waves lapping at the shore even from this distance.

“Connor, the fuck you doin’? Let’s go!” Hank snapped, watching him from the other side of the car.

“Sorry lieutenant,” He replied, before following the human towards the warehouses.

There were already a few police officers in and out of the large building. There wasn’t even a door to get in, just a doorway. It had seemed to be ripped off the hinges, leaving just an entry way. Strange.

“Good morning Hank. I’m surprised you showed up right away,” Ben Collins greeted him.

“Yeah, shit’s been pretty boring at home. I’ll take any chance to get out of the house,” Hank responded, glancing back to make sure Connor had followed him.

“Still got your android following you around, huh?”

There was a sudden change in the air, and the android’s attention was immediately drawn away from Collins to look at Hank. A few notifications appeared on his screen, letting him know that the lieutenant’s heart rate had increased. His eyebrows furrowed and he stepped up with a tilt of his head.

“He doesn’t just fucking ‘follow me’, Ben. He decided to come with me. And Connor isn’t _my_ android,” Anderson spat out.

“May we see the crime scene, detective?” Connor quickly interjected; voice polite.

“Uh, yea sure. Head inside, you’ll see it,” Ben replied, giving him a bewildered look.

Nodding once, Connor placed a gentle hand on the lieutenant’s arm, giving him a tiny smile. “Let’s go inside, lieutenant.”

Hank glared at Collins for a moment longer, before nodding and following Connor inside.

“Is everything alright?” Connor asked once they were inside. It smelled like burnt machinery and fumes of burning android. Hank immediately covered his nose with his shirt, waving away the remains of some smoke from his face.

“Fuck, that smell. Yes, I’m alright Connor. Let’s just look at what happened.”

“But you seemed hostile towards Detective Collins. And you usually get along rather well with him from what I’ve observed. Did something happen?”

The detective let out an irritated sigh, turning his head towards Connor and dropping his makeshift mask.

“Why are you so damn persistent about this Connor? It’s only 11AM and I’m already being fucking pestered by a fucking android. It’s too early for this,” He snapped, in turn making the android flinch. There was along moment of silence, both staring at each other. Connor was at a loss for words. The man's words made him feel… hurt in a mental sense. It was a strange feeling; he had never felt like this before.

Hank, on the other hand, looked rather sheepish, blushing once again. It was clear he was embarrassed and maybe even guilty about what he said but didn’t make a move to fix the problem as he turned on his heel and moved further into the warehouse. Connor had no choice but to follow him, lest he wanted to wait out in the car.

Once they moved further in, it was clear something bad had happened to this android. The smell from before was indeed an android who had been on fire. Their charred corpse was laying against the far wall, a puddle of thirium pooled underneath them. Connor’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the corpse.

“Go ahead and look the victim over, I’ll talk with the coroner,” Hank told him, before stepping away to speak with another human. Connor watched him go, the sting from his earlier comments still fresh in his mind. He knew that Hank wasn’t going to apologize, there weren’t many times that the lieutenant tried to do so. It was unfamiliar territory, for them both, that was for sure.

Shaking it from his mind, Connor stepped up to the body and crouched down in front of it. He hesitated as he stared down at the blue blood on the floor, but he couldn’t help himself. He swiped his fingers through it and took a lick, turning his head slightly to make sure Hank hadn’t been watching. A pair of legs blocked his vision, and the android looked up to see Hank watching him with his arms crossed.

“I left you for less than a minute, Connor! I told you to stop licking the fucking evidence!”

Usually at this point, the android would calmly explain that it was used to collect evidence and take samples in real time. Connor had even explained that before! But, as he stared up at Hank, something rose up within him. He didn’t have to listen to the man, and he didn’t have to explain himself again. If the lieutenant wasn’t listening before, he surely wouldn’t listen this time.

“And I told you why I do it, lieutenant. So why are you still patronizing me about it?” He retorted, eyes narrowing as he defiantly licked his fingers once again. A notification popped up that it was indeed thirium, belonging to an AP700 that had been reported missing 3 months ago.

“It was definitely a deviant,” Connor said after a moment, “It went missing 3 months ago, which is around when the revolution started.”

“What the fuck happened to it then? It looked like someone tried to barbecue it,” Hank pointed out, an attempt at a joke, but Connor found no humor in the situation at hand.

“Well…” Connor’s eyes took on a shinier gloss to them as he analyzed the scene in front of him. “The android was not set on fire; it seems something might have damaged it from the inside and triggered some sort of explosion.”

“Faulty parts, maybe? Or maybe it was too stressed and exploded from it.”

“Androids are too advanced now to have parts faulty. Even if it were true, it wouldn’t cause an explosion. Though maybe someone was attacking it, which caused the self-destruct. But that wouldn’t cause so much damage to the outer shell of the android.”

“You’re thinking foul play then?” Hank questioned with raised eyebrows.

“It shouldn’t be ruled out, certainly. I can’t scan much from this body, lieutenant. It is badly damaged. I just know that it exploded from the inside, but it also bled out. It might’ve still been alive after it exploded.”

There was a sharp gasp from underneath him, and Connor whipped his head around in time to get a knife straight in his stomach. There was no pain, there never was, but flashing, red notifications began to spring up in his vision, warning him that he was losing thirium and that he should seek help immediately. Nonetheless, he choked and clutched at the knife. He looked at the charred android in front of him with a shocked look. Two amber eyes stared at him defiantly, stark against the black of their burnt, plastic skin.

Instinctively, Connor reached out and grabbed onto the forearm of the android. Memories rushed through his head, making him wince as his LED began to flash red in warning.

“Connor! CONNOR!” Two firm hands grabbed onto his shoulders, yanking him back and breaking his grip on the deviant. “Holy shit, it stabbed you! Someone take that thing away!”

“N-no, I need…to talk to it,” Connor ground out while trying to push himself up off the ground. Hank’s hand shot out, pressing against his shoulder firmly. The android could break the man’s grip and get up if he wanted, but with the way Hank looked, he thought better of it.

“You don’t need to do shit. What you need is to go home,” Hank said, grabbing onto Connor’s bicep and hauling him up.

The android shook his head firmly, “No, I just will need some thirium and I’ll be okay. Don’t take it away yet! It could self-destruct!” He told the police officer who approached the android.

“Connor! Look at me, god dammit!” Hank went to stand in front of him, crossing his arms. “You have a knife sticking out of you, for fuck’s sake. They will be careful with the android and we can question it down at the station. Let’s just get you cleaned up first.”

Without hesitation, Connor grabbed the hilt of the knife and pulled it out of himself. Thirium gushed from the wound and another warning notification popped up in his vision. What humans never seemed to understand was that androids could be fixed easily. And Connor didn’t want to wait, because what he saw in the victim’s memories was…unsettling.

“Shit! Why would you do that?!” Hank snapped, looking around for something before finally reaching down and ripping a piece of his shirt off. He wadded it up and reached out, pressing it firmly against Connor’s wound. “You just made it bleed more! Doesn’t that smart android head of yours tell you not to do crap like that? Hold this against it!”

“It was a warning, yes,” He replied calmly, and the lieutenant gave him an annoyed look. The android took the fabric against his stomach and pressed a hand to it to help slow the bleeding.

“Don’t rough up that android, we need it for questioning. If that thing is dead before we get down to the station, I will personally kick someone’s ass,” Hank barked out to the detectives standing around. “And you!” He pointed at Connor, “We’re going home first. Now.”

There was a pause as the android weighed his options. He could refuse to go home and talk to the android. But that would make Hank even more upset. If they waited to talk to the victim though…it could die on the way to the station before they get to speak to it and whatever it knows will be lost.

“Alright,” Connor said hesitantly.

Hank let out a long sigh, rubbing his forehead. “Thank fucking god. Let’s go.”

Once they were back in Hank’s car, Connor sat silently, staring out the window idly. It was surprisingly nice to have a choice. Usually, with something like this, he would be forced to go question to deviant first because it was a part of his mission. Because he was easily replaceable. But now, with Cyberlife in tatters, with their android production at a halt, he was as fragile as a human, one might say. He couldn’t just come back to life in another body if he died. And though he wanted to speak to that android because of the case, he decided to listen to Hank instead.

“I’m sorry I ruined two of your shirts, lieutenant. I will replace them when I get a chance.”

Hank snorted, glancing over at Connor. “Don’t worry about it, kid. The one I’m wearing is in fucking tatters anyways. And I let you have that shirt, so it doesn’t bother me.”

And that was the end of the conversation. Connor went back to looking out the window, his thoughts going back to the earlier comments Hank had made. He bit his lip, glancing down at the thirium-soaked fabric he had pressed against his stomach. The lieutenant was right. He was indeed an android. Becoming a deviant wouldn’t change that it seemed.

“Do androids feel pain? Doesn’t that…hurt?” Hank questioned after a prolonged silence.

Connor turned his head as the man put the car in park in the driveway. He was sure that he told Hank before that androids don’t feel pain at all, if it wasn’t evident when he got shot those few times before. Yet he still asks redundant questions. The android wondered if Hank had memory issues, forgetting the little things Connor told him or just ignored what he said.

“No, androids do not feel pain. We were designed to do many things and pain would just get in the way of what our jobs would require us to do. So, no, if anything, it is just a minor inconvenience,” Connor glanced up at the blaring red warning at the top of his vision, before looking back at Hank.

“Right, I guess I’ll never understand androids,” Hank shook his head, taking the keys out of the ignition. He was about to get out of the car, but hesitated. He turned back to Connor, who watched him with a curious look.  
“Connor, look. I, uh, just wanted to say-“

Before Connor could hear what he was trying to say, his hearing went out. The notifications on his screen cleared and his vision went dark. This must be what it’s like to pass out as a human. A strange feeling, a strange concept.

“Holy shit, _Connor_!”


	2. He has not forgotten you

### Chapter 2:

Androids don’t feel pain, that was never something that humans wanted to put within their software. Without pain, it made them easier to control, easier to hurt without feeling the remorse later. Connor was no exception, especially since he was made to be apart of the police. Getting injured in the police force was a common occurrence, especially when dealing with violent perpetrators. When he had been…. without emotions, getting stabbed or punched or kicked or bit, was something he was accustomed too. But when the android had stabbed him, there was something. It was small…but it was there. Fear. Potent, filling his nose with the scent of his own thirium, hands shaking as he tried to prove to Hank that it didn’t hurt by pulling that stupid knife out of his abdomen.

All those warning gave him pause and scared him because he could’ve possibly died. He could even be dead right now and would have no idea because there was no Heaven or Hell waiting for an android. Androids didn’t believe in religion, nor an afterlife. Connor himself had never experienced dying, even when he was allotted at least 10 or more replacement bodies. He wondered what it would be like.

Powering up was sluggish and delayed, his systems had been doing maintenance while he was down. Red alerts flashed in his vision, warning him he had lost a serious amount of thirium and should seek a technician as soon as possible. Nothing was seriously hurt inside of him, but lack of thirium made it hard to power up. He was running on low power to conserve, his vision fuzzy and black and white. 

“Hank,” he croaked out, his voice sounding extremely mechanical and robotic. He was in the house, at least. All he could remember was powering down in the car. Hank must’ve brought him in. 

“Connor, you’re awake!” Hank immediately came into his vision, though it was hard to lift his head to stare up at the man’s face. “Fuck, I wasn’t sure if I should be taking you to some kind of android repairman or what. I was contemplating calling Nines.”

“An unwise choice, clearly,” Connor droned out, to which Hank let out a sharp gasp.

“I’m calling Nines!” He announced, “You sound like a fucking robot!”

The android snapped his hand out, catching the lieutenant’s wrist and tugging on it. “Don’t call him, he will bring…Gavin over…” He forced out, his voice going in and out and more alerts appearing in front of him. 

“Fucking--_really_? You’re embarrassed to be dying!?” Anderson snapped, though he didn’t yank his arm away from Connor, instead, the man crouched down to look him in the eyes, “What do you need?” He questioned with a serious look.

Connor stared at Hank with a blank expression for a good ten seconds, opening his mouth and trying to get his lips to form the words. It was a struggle, everything felt like it was slowed down. “T-thirium,” He finally got out.

Hank was instantly on his feet, and Connor wasn’t sure if the lieutenant even heard him or was actually getting what he asked for. But there was no way he was going to find out in this position, with his chin pressed to his chest, not being able to even lift it without risk of shutting down. He could feel the fear still lumped in his throat, but he chose to ignore it as to not worry Hank anymore. The man was probably already pulling his hair out.

It felt like years before Hank’s pants were in view again, the android letting out a sigh of relief. The man had one of his chipped coffee mugs with a red bendy straw sitting out of it. He hurried grabbed one of Connor’s limp hands, wrapping his fingers through the handle and then sitting it on his chest. Connor pulled his head up, swallowing hard as more warnings flashed. He brought his lips to the straw and began to drink.

Thirium had no taste, it wasn’t delicious or anything. Androids didn’t even know what would or wouldn’t be delicious anyways. They didn't have to eat like humans, but could be directed too if that’s what an owner wanted. Food had no taste to an android though, they could never experience food the way humans do. There were just some things you couldn’t program. 

After three swallows, Connor’s systems began to return to normal, alerts and warnings slowly dissipating from his screen. His vision became clear and colored once again, and he was able to shift his body without fear of damaging something. He slowly sat up from his slouched position and held the coffee cup more firmly in his hand as he leaned forward over the coffee table.

“How are you feeling? Is that helping?” Hank questioned from the love-seat next to him. 

“Yes. Thank you, Lieutenant,” Connor hummed, sipping at the thirium while watching Hank.

“W-what? Why are you staring at me?”

“Why do you have straws that bend?”

The human stared at Connor with a baffled expression. There was a long moment of silence, where both Hank and Connor stared at one another. There was a curious expression on the android’s face, while the lieutenant was scowling.

“You’ve been passed out for an hour and that’s all you have to fuckin’ say?” Hank exclaimed.

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe this! I was worried out of my god-damn mind! I thought you had shut down for good! I mean, I was about to call Nines! That asshole!”

“I’m aware.”

“Can you stop answering me like we’re playing 20 fucking questions?! Holy shit, Connor! You could’ve died! Or been seriously damaged!”

“Lieutenant,” Connor took a deep breath, “I would have let you know if I was damaged more than my systems could handle. Though I was not expecting to be stabbed. A miscalculation on my part,” He responded calmly.

“A miscalculation?! Oh my god,” Hank stood up, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Suddenly, he was turning on Connor, eyes burning. “No, you were careless! You cared more about getting information than your own life! You aren’t immortal, god dammit!”

“I am not careless,” Connor retorted, his voice turning icy. It wasn’t often that Hank Anderson ‘got under his skin’, as humans say. Connor was the man’s partner, he had learned his habits and traits, and adapted to them as best he could. But moments like these always brought out something in him, a burning in his cheeks, an itching feeling in the back of his mind. He didn’t like what Hank was saying to him. It _bothered_ him.

“I thought the deviant was dead.”

“Well, it clearly wasn’t! You’re supposed to be top of the line, how could you not figure out it was still alive!?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“You’re smarter than me, than most humans, Connor! How am I supposed to help when you don’t tell me?! You just pass out in my fucking car and what am I supposed to think?” Hank was yelling by the end; another thing Connor was used too. But it hadn’t been directed at him in a while, so the words felt more barbed than usual.

“I didn’t require assistance, lieutenant. I don’t understand why this is upsetting you,” Connor was trying to keep the situation calm, but he was confused. Why was Hank so bothered about this? It wasn’t like him.

“No, you know what? I forgot, you’re an android. Of course you wouldn’t fucking understand. I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath,” Hank grabbed his coat off the coffee table. Connor tried to stand up, to stop the man, but he was still regaining his strength. The Lieutenant watched Connor struggle with a pissy expression, “I’ll be waiting in the car. We gotta question that android.” And with that, he stormed out.

It took the android a couple minutes to fully understand what Hank had said. And when he did, something inside him began to ache. Connor didn’t understand, didn’t understand why Hank had to say those things. Or why he was feeling this way now. Usually humans were angry when someone called them derogatory names. But he didn’t think he was mad, though he had never really felt anger before. Well, he didn’t want to argue with Hank, nor did he feel like yelling or harming the man in a mental or physical sense. And that was how the lieutenant displayed he was enraged. There was one thing he sort of understood. He understood that Hank had been worried about him, but then again he couldn't see why that would make the man angry. Isn't it supposed to make humans sad? Emotions were very very confusing.

Unsure about himself, Connor went into his room to change his shirt. There was thirium all over it and was pretty much ruined with a hole in it. He shucked it off, going onto the dresser drawer and pulling out an old shirt with a faded DPD logo. The android felt the fabric between his fingers, it was soft because of its age. As he was moving away from the dresser, he caught a look of himself in the mirror.

Stopping short, he realized that there was a large bandage patch on his skin where he had been stabbed prior. He tilted his head, uncertain what to do with this information. Hank had tried to bandage him up, even if it was just one of those stick-on kinds. It certainly wasn't going to help with the puncture one bit, but it was thoughtful nonetheless. This fact alone confused him even more and left a heavy feeling in his mind, so he decided to log it and put it away in his head. He needed to be prepared to question the deviant. And whatever was going on with Hank would have to wait.

Once he had on a fresh shirt, folded up the ruined one, and habitually put on his uniform jacket, he made his way out to the car.

It had stopped snowing, but it was cold enough for the flurries from earlier to stick to the ground. White fog puffed out of the back of Hank’s old car. The heat only worked on full blast, the seats were coming apart from wear and tear. But the lieutenant refused to buy a new, automated car. The man in general just didn’t like new technology.

Connor was surprised that Hank actually waited for him. When he was mad, he would usually rush off in his car, leaving Connor to diffuse a situation then promptly call a taxi.

So, he got in the car silently, putting on his seat-belt and glancing over at Hank. The man was staring out the windshield, but his hand moved and put the car in reverse. There was a distant look on the lieutenant’s face that Connor had only seen a couple times. It was usually when he thought about his son. Knowing Hank didn’t like to be prodded at moments like this, Connor kept quiet. The ride was tense, but the android paid little mind to the atmosphere around the detective. He hoped that the outburst from earlier wouldn’t impact their work.

Once at the station, Connor was out first, heading straight in. He swiped his new ID card he was issued a couple weeks prior. He immediately went back to the holding cells, looking for the badly burned deviant. But every cell was empty. One had a door open and Connor could clearly see flakes of burnt plastic littering the floor within. It had been here. The problem is, where was it taken?

“Betcha wonderin’ where your victim went, huh?” Came a familiar voice from next to the android.

Connor turned his gaze, brown eyes settling on Detective Reed’s smug face.

“Yes, and I’m quite sure he wouldn’t have escaped with such watchful detectives nearby,” Connor retorted, noting that RK-900 was standing behind Gavin, looking very imposing next to the smaller detective.

“Gavin’s attention span would have allowed it,” Nines retorted, to which both androids snorted. Gavin blinked a couple times, looking completely baffled as two android made fun of him.

“Wha- okay, listen here you toasters! Aren’t you supposed to be asking where the victim went?” He directed his attention back to Connor with a scowl.

“I’m asking where the victim went.”

“Ha! Well, I’m not tellin’ ya!” Gavin gave him a satisfied smirk, to which Connor kind of just stared at him with a blank expression.

“It died while we were interrogating it,” Nines butted in, apparently ruining the detective’s fun.

“I hope you fucking learned something from it before you put a bullet in its brain,” Came Hank’s familiar rumble, making everyone turn towards him.

“Maybe we did, maybe we didn’t,” Gavin said with a ‘_humph_’, Nines rolling his eyes beside the man. 

It happened so quick that even the androids couldn’t react in time, Hank lunging forward and throwing Gavin so hard against the glass of the holding cell it cracked.

“I’m getting sick of your shitty attitude! Where the **FUCK** is the body?!” He yelled in Gavin’s face, lifting the younger man off his feet.

“In the coroner’s wing, you old prick! Now put me the phck down!” Gavin practically squealed, clawing at the fist currently knotted in his shirt.

“Somebody needs to teach you not to run your fuckin’ mouth,” Hank snarled, his other fist balling. Immediately in Connor’s vision, an alarming percentage popped up. 

_‘98% Lieutenant Hank Anderson likely to punch Detective Gavin Reed’._

“Hank!” Connor protested, reaching out. Before he could really stop the man though, another hand clamped down on the human’s shoulder. Nines emotionless face stared down at Hank, grip rather strong.

“Lieutenant, if you would please let my partner go. We have other matters to attend too,” RK-900 said calmly, though his voice was tight. 

There was a couple of tense moment, but Hank’s fist loosened up and he dropped Gavin onto his feet. The detective smoothed down his shirt, but he looked frazzled.

“Connor, let’s go,” Hank grumbled, turning away from the scene and heading towards the coroner’s office.

“What the phck is his problem?” Reed growled. Nines hastily grabbed onto Gavin’s bicep as a warning. 

“I will send you what I learned, Connor. But Fowler has also assigned us to these cases as well as assistance. So, expect to see us more often,” Nines said while practically dragging Gavin away.

“Of course. Goodbye Detective, Nines,” Connor politely excused himself, chasing after the lieutenant. It was clear that their argument was going to affect their work. Hank rarely got into arguments with Gavin, as they just avoided each other. It would be ignorant of him to not correlate what happened earlier with the outburst just now. It was likely Hank was taking out his aggression on Detective Reed.

As he entered the coroner’s office, it was empty. The coroner wasn’t even here. Curiously, Connor poked his head into one of the examination rooms. The lieutenant was examining the deviant’s body, so the android quickly joined him.

“Well, Gavin didn’t kill it at least. It looks like it just shut down,” Hank said once Connor approached.

“From all the burns, it would not have lasted very long,” He replied, reaching out and touching the deviant’s charred hand with two fingers. His hand turned white as he tried to see if he could remove anything from the android’s database. Unfortunately, it was shut down for good. Connor clenched his fist, wishing he hadn't been so reckless. Hank had said something to him that had him distracted and it cost him valuable evidence. He didn't scan the deviant thoroughly, not realizing it was still alive. Nor did he even get to scan the scene before being stabbed and rushed home. Another thing for the lieutenant to be right about.

“I can’t get anymore information from it, it’s dead,” Connor finally said with a hint of irritation, pulling his hand back. 

“Did you see something before it stabbed you? You looked shaken up,” Anderson asked, setting down the tablet he was using.

“I did, let me show you on the computer,” They went over to the computer in the corner of the room, where Connor pressed his hand to a console. There was a flicker and then they were seeing through the deviant’s eyes. “This was recorded five minutes before it exploded.”

The video wasn’t fuzzy at first, in fact, it was crystal clear. The deviant was doing work within the warehouse, moving heavy boxes of merchandise, chatting with another android. It was peaceful, and then it wasn’t.

“Who are you?” Came a distant voice, “You aren’t allowed back here!”

A figure in a black cloak appeared in front of the android’s vision, the face not visible underneath the hood.

“What have you done to Mark? Who are you?!” The deviant’s voice rang out as a gloved hand reached out from the robed figure. The android looked down in time to see a knife slash across its wrist. That’s when its vision became fuzzy and disoriented. 

“F̸̨͎͍̰̞̱̼̙͉̊̍͐͐͊̅̈͜͠ẻ̶̞͔̺͌̄͂̌̒̕a̸̢̖̞̯͓͚̣͉͖̟̰̼͍̘͗̽̒̎̓̇̀̚͜r̵̳͎̦̲͔̥̱̯͕͚̱̽͐͂̉͂͂̕̚͠ ̶̨͔̩͔̱̻̼͙̞̭͕̻̤͌͆̆̄̈̂̍n̵͎̣̼̅̆̓̌̐̊̔͝͝ǫ̸̮͍̩͇͍̥̜̥͍͐͐͆̊̉͊t̷̝͂̑̈́͒͑̀̍̓!̴̧̡͖͔͔̗̲͚́̿̈́̽͋̓͂͌͒̂͂̒̾ Stand your ground...ᏖᏂᏋ ᏝᎧᏒᎴ himself will -̴̬̻̥̘̙̼͓̯̫̈́̾͊͊̐̔͝-̸̢̢̥̞̘̺͉͇͎̔̑̏̅-̸̣̗̯͇͍̩̝̣̭͐̕̕ͅ.̵̨̧̠̳̹̘͇̌̔̄̆̆̌̓̐̕ͅ.̷̢̥̟̌͑̈́͋̌.̴̧̛̺̮͈̰̞̲̩̈́̈́̈́͑̈͜ for you; you ~̸̤̙̬͇͗̈́ͅ~̵͇̲̭̰͉͖̟̎͗̂͋͂̓̎͑̋`̷̨̗̭͔͖̬͊̑͑̐͒̚͜`̶̪̜̫̘̞̯̀̔̐ only to k̶͓̟̣̭̠̫̣̘̀e̵̩̘̬̥̪̽͐͌̽̓̌̀͗̍͆e̷̥͚̙̔̄̕p̸̧͎͈̙͛̒̀͒ͅ ̴̨̹̪̙̎͆̂̈́̀s̶̿͜t̷̪͔͈̀̈ͅï̷͚̳̺̟̦̹̈́ļ̴̮̗̻̥̪̃͋͗̅̎͘l̴̥̯̹!” 

The voice was shrill, glitched out because of the malfunctions within the android the suspect was speaking too.

Two large hands reached up, the android covering its eyes while letting out an agonizing scream. And then the feed went out. Connor rubbed his arm like he was cold, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his chest. 

“What…the fuck?” Hank finally broke the silence, basically saying what Connor was feeling as well.

“The suspect is religiously motivated, as they referenced the Lord specifically. Maybe a human who thinks androids are not created by god? There are many religious groups that have formed under this pretense.”

“I’m not worried about that, Connor. I’m more freaked out by the damn wound he inflicted on the deviant. Just one scratch had that thing exploding. What could do something like that? Something on the knife?”

Connor rewound the scene, pausing where the knife slashed across the android’s wrist. There was nothing out of the ordinary, it was just a simple knife. There was blue blood on it, but that was most likely from the android it called Mark. As Connor squinted at the knife, his eyes widened.

“The deviant stabbed me with the same knife!” He exclaimed, hand moving down to subconsciously press against the wound.

“The knife is probably in evidence right now; we should have someone in forensics try to swab something off that shit. Maybe there was some kind of poison that applies to androids on it?”

“I know nothing of such a thing. I know there are acids that can eat away at the plastic casing of an android, but not something that affects the way an android thinks…” Connor thoughtfully looked at the screen, the knife in the photo sending a single shiver down his spine.

“Wait…. hold on. _You_ were stabbed by the same knife,” Hank wheeled around to face Connor, who gave him a blank look. “Are you okay, do you feel any different? There might have been something on that knife!”

“It didn’t do anything to me,” He immediately replied, “If there was something on the knife, it was probably covered by dry thirium. The body had been there for a day,” He added. Connor had been thinking the same thing, but at this point in time he really didn’t want to stress Hank out anymore. He had already upset the man today, and he wasn’t planning on doing it more than once. And besides that, he was fine. Nothing was popping up in his feed, no blaring notifications, no internal damage. It wouldn’t be a problem unless it hindered him from doing his job.

The lieutenant watched him for a good ten seconds, before letting out an annoyed sigh and nodding, “Fine, whatever.”

Connor saved the video into the evidence of the case files, before shutting the computer back down. He glanced over at the body, before moving back up to it. The plastic was charred and flaking, some of it was missing in chunks all over the body. The only thing that showed was the android’s dull, opened eyes and white teeth from their opened mouth. The deviant had clearly been opened recently, the fingerprints of the coroner all over the torso of it. If there were any fingerprints from the suspect, they would be gone after the explosion. Which was probably what the person wanted when killing this android. It was a brutal, yet puzzling crime. To somehow make the android self-destruct with a simple cut…they wouldn’t know too much more until the knife was examined and tested for any type of foreign contaminant.

“Do you think it tried to defend itself?” The android questioned softly after a moment.

“That would explain why it had the knife. Maybe when it realized it wasn’t dead, it lunged for the knife the perp had?”

“I wish we had more video feed, damnit!” Connor hissed, clenching his fist. _Then I wouldn’t feel so useless_, he thought.

Hank didn’t say anything, which made the android turn around to face him. He was looking down at his phone with a grim expression. 

“What is it?” Connor asked, a strange feeling rising in his throat. He couldn’t quite name it, but it left him feeling uneasy, nonetheless.

“There’s already been another murder,” He told his partner, glancing towards the door, “We should go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was shorter than the first. I wanted to mash this with the next crime scene, but I think it would flow better if I put that in the next chapter. :]


	3. I have set before you this day, life and good, death and evil

### 

Chapter 3:

Androids weren’t meant to feel emotions. When being your typical slave, humans preferred not to feel guilt for you. They don’t want to hear you crying in the night. Or worse, they don’t want you to rebel. But androids seemed to not handle emotions well. Connor himself even had this issue. Being a machine for most of his lifespan, it was a hard transition. He knew androids like Markus adapted well, but even the leader of the rebellion questioned what he was feeling. Some couldn’t adapt at all, and Connor understood that too. There were some who became afraid and paranoid. Others didn’t want to become deviant at all. Those were either the abused and misused, or the ones living lavish, carefree lives with their owners.

Emotions were extremely confusing, there were so many. He wasn’t sure how humans sorted through them. Maybe it would’ve been easier if androids had emotions from the start, like baby humans did. Instead, it was like throwing the new deviants into a pool of ice-cold water. And they can’t swim.

“Connor, are you listening to me?”

The android blinked a couple times, LED turning from yellow to blue as he glanced over at Hank.

“No. Sorry, lieutenant,” He apologized.

“I didn’t know androids could daydream,” Hank snorted, making Connor’s eyebrows furrow.

“We don’t. I was thinking.”

“About?”

Connor paused, gaze searching Hank’s face as the man drove. He wasn’t sure if the human was still upset with him, and the notifications on his HUD were surely just going to sour his mood even more. He was frowning deeply as he stared at the road, border-line a scowl. He also gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary. Connor opened and closed his mouth, stalling for an answer without disclosing what was really on his mind.

“How do you distinguish different emotions?” Connor asked carefully.

There was a prolonged silence, and the deviant thought that he wasn’t going to answer at all.

“Well…” Hank reached up and scratched his beard, “I guess each feelin’ has a different…feeling. It’s hard to explain.”

“Can you explain an emotion to me?”

“Uh…. hm. Anger is an easy one, I guess. When I’m pissed, I want to yell. There’s heat coursing through me, and I don’t hold back. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, I say stupid shit. Anger isn’t fair to the person it’s directed at most the time, Connor. You shouldn’t let it consume you.”

The android’s eyes didn’t leave Hank’s face, studying him with a thoughtful expression. Hank seemed to feel guilty for his earlier actions. It was on his face and in his words. They hinted at an apology, but it wasn’t an actual apology, at least not that Connor knew. Connor wasn’t sure if it was best to push the man for one or not. Hank was a confusing man. The lieutenant had a hard time thanking people or apologizing.

But he didn’t get the chance to ask more about it as they pulled up next to a building. They were in front of a rather large hotel in downtown Detroit. It was for the wealthy, upper-class humans, as there were luxury cars parked outside and within the parking deck. As they approached the doors, Connor caught sight of a familiar sign. ‘No Androids Allowed’.

Hank let out a sigh, “It’s gonna be one of _those_ cases. I need a drink already.” He went in first, the android trailing behind him.

The hotel lobby was luxurious, with gold wallpaper and white chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. White modern furniture was scattered about with guests sitting and chatting on them. Android waiters and bellhops skittered around, they served drinks and took luggage.

“Hank, over here!” Collins waved them over towards a brightly smiling woman. She was wearing a navy-blue pants suit with her brown hair tied back in a tight bun. If Connor had just glanced her way once, he would’ve mistaken her for an android.

As he assessed her, he learned her name was Matilda Welsh, she was the owner of Chambre d'or Hotel, the hotel they were currently in. She was also a suspect of a fraud scandal years ago that fell through because of lack of evidence. The hotel was involved in an android abuse case, but it was never brought out of a private trial. 

“Good afternoon Lieutenant. I am Matilda Welsh, the owner of Chambre d’or Hotel. Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Her smile was stretched so wide over her face it looked unnatural.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Welsh. I am Lieutenant Hank Anderson, and this is my partner Connor,” As he introduced them, the woman’s eyes darted to Connor, a look of mild disgust passing over her face but in mere seconds was replaced with the same smile. The deviant caught the look and tilted his head, eyes thoughtful.

“So, what happened here?” Hank asked.

“It is absolutely terrible! One of our androids has holed itself up threatening to self-destruct! It has one of our guests hostage!”

Hank instantly wheeled around to face Collins, “You said this was a deviant murder.”

“W-well, we know that your partner had dealt with a hostage situation before and-“

“And the android murdered one of its own!” Matilda interrupted dramatically.

Hank let out a huff, “So what? We’re going to investigate the body and diffuse a hostage situation?! Henry, I am the least qualified to stop someone from harming a hostage!”

“I can do it,” Connor butted in, nodding firmly.

“Um! Perhaps you can send in a human-“

“Connor is the best we have, miss. Unless there’s some other issue?” Hank questioned with an icy tone.

“Oh…n-no! No, if you say he is the best, I will trust your judgement.”

“Where is the android holding the hostage? I think it would be best we dealt with that before looking at the body,” Connor said politely, giving the woman a smile.

The women blatantly ignored him, turning to Hank and handing him a bronze keycard. “The rampaging android is on the fourth floor in room 405. Here’s the keycard.”

“Let’s go Connor,” The lieutenant growled out, and he stalked off towards the elevators.

“Did that woman bother you, lieutenant?” Connor asked as they got on the elevator.

He could hear Hank’s teeth grind together, and Connor glanced the man’s way. The lieutenant was tense, his jaw clamped shut as he stared hard at the buttons with an irritated expression. This was a clear indicator that yes, she did indeed bother him. The deviant just wasn’t sure why.

"You did not have to join me, lieutenant. I could've handled the situation myself," Connor told Hank as they went up to the fourth floor.

"It's fine, I'm not gonna send you up here alone," He responded, voice tight.

Once the elevator dinged, they got off. It was silent down the hall. Connor checked the sign for the room numbers, and they headed down the hall. 405 was not far down the corridor, and you would not think there was something wrong as they approached. As Connor scanned the nearby area, he was surprised to find multiple areas with dried blue blood on it. But the confusing part was that the thirium was from different androids.

“There’s copious amounts of thirium on this hall,” Connor told Hank, who was readying his gun by the door.

“It’s probably from the android holding the hostage. It might’ve lashed out at other ones.”

“Some of it is weeks old,” Connor finished, coming to stand behind Hank at the door.

With a ‘huh’ noise, Hank banged on the door, “Detroit police! Open up!”

There was some shuffling inside, and then a bang. Hank yanked out the keycard, fumbling to unlock the door. Connor leaned around the man, putting out his hand palm side up. Hank quickly gave the android the card, who swiped it easily.

Hank threw open the door, both moving in. With furniture scattered around the living room and kitchen, Connor questioned where this hostile deviant was. Warm sunlight flitted in from the windows across the room, casting shadows over the knocked-over furniture. One window was open and letting in a cold breeze, it billowed the sheer curtains.

“Be careful, we don’t know where it is hiding,” Hank warned as he pulled up his gun and glanced around.

Connor stepped further into the room, peering around for any evidence within the suite. It looks like there was a struggle, especially with all the furniture tossed around. Whoever had been staying in this room left in a hurry, their luggage on the floor with their clothes strewn about.

“You think it ran?” Hank asked, moving towards the open window. He peered out through curtains, as if expecting a flying android to appear.

“Doubtful. If it is a customer service android, it would not have enough strength to climb down four stories.”

Hank stayed put at the window a moment longer, before moving back into the living room.

“We shouldn’t linger, the android is hiding in the bedroom,” Connor looked over at the door, where a bloody hand-print stained the dark wood.

They both approached, Hank taking the lead with his gun in one hand. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. The lieutenant cautiously entered, looking around the room. There was more blood trailing into the closet, and Connor motioned towards it silently. A gun laid on the bed, and Connor was quick to swipe it up as a precaution. If the deviant was violent, it could possibly grab the gun. Not that Connor himself would use it. He preferred not to use them at all, if possible.

With the lieutenant standing nearby the closet door in case the android jumped out to attack them, Connor surveyed the scene to figure out exactly what happened. He crouched down to the floor and took a sample of the blood, Hank giving a huff as he watched him. As he licked the blood, he was informed that the blood was from a human named Ezekiel Lichen. The scene that played out afterwards showed him being pulled into the closet by a HR400. The scene seemed off though, it didn’t look like the human was struggling against his captor. But the blood on the floor was from the human.

“The human was bleeding…but the android didn’t seem hostile,” Connor spoke softly, glancing towards Hank.

“It could attack us,” Hank muttered, and he beckoned Connor over. Once the android was positioned behind him, Hank grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open.

“Stay where you are!” Hank shouted, pointing the gun into the closet. Connor couldn’t see what was happening, but suddenly, the lieutenant was being shoved backwards into Connor. Not prepared for the shift in weight, Connor was barely able to catch the man, stumbling back a few paces and knocking over a lamp from the bedside table with a muffled 'oomph'.

“Fuck!” Hank cursed as Connor lifted him back up.

“Stay away from us!”

Both police officers turned towards the voice, the lieutenant trained his gun on Ezekiel, who stood in front of the taller android with a knife pointed at them. His arms were shaking like loose ropes as he held the kitchen utensil with both hands, pointed towards Hank’s face. It was clear he had no dealings with knives like this before. 

“Are you okay, Ezekiel?” Connor asked, stepping forward in front of Hank, who gave him an alarmed look. Connor placed a hand behind his back and waved Hank off to tell him he could handle this.

“How do you know my name?”

“Your blood is on the floor. My name is Connor, I’m a police officer. We just came to stop this android from hurting you,” Connor explained, trying to keep the situation calm.

“Gabriel would never hurt me! He’s my husband!”

Connor glanced between the android and the human, accessing databases to confirm what the man was saying. 

“Ezekiel Lichen married a HR400 android two months ago,” He confirmed to Hank, who still had the gun aimed at the human.

“Well, why don’t you put down the fucking knife and explain what’s going on then?!” Hank barked out, jerking his head towards the bed.

Ezekiel cast a worried glance towards Connor, “Tell him to put his gun down first, and I promise to put down the knife.”

A look of surprise passed the android’s face, and he questioned why the human had asked him to tell Hank to put the gun down? Sure, Hank seemed…unapproachable, but he would listen. Probably. But there was a slim chance he would listen to Connor.

“Hank,” Connor swung his head around to look at the man, “can you put your gun away? I don’t think they will be confrontational towards us.”

The lieutenant hesitated, glancing over towards Connor, who nodded encouragingly and even gave him a reassuring smile. He left out an irritated sigh and holstered his pistol, “Hell, fine.”

Ezekiel nodded once, moved over to the bed slowly and set the knife down on the sheets, turning to his husband, who had his head bowed. “We’re going to talk to the police now, honey. You have to tell them what happened.”

“And why the fuck we were sent up here thinking you were a hostage being held by him,” Hank growled out, the annoyance radiating off him. 

“Is that what you were told? I guess I should expect nothing less from Matilda herself,” Ezekiel spat out, before they all moved into the living room and squeezed in at the small dining room table. Connor’s arm pressed against Hank’s larger one, but neither seemed to notice as Ezekiel and Gabriel sat down across from them.

“So, what the hell is going on?” Hank asked as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with a deep breath.

Connor sighed at Hank’s wording; eyes focused on the human male in front of him. It was clear that Ezekiel was shaken up, and his partner tried to comfort him. A simple hand on his shoulder, he gripped it like a lifeline, but probably not enough to hurt. It was a simple gesture, but Connor wondered how the deviant was comfortable doing something like that. Connor had been a deviant for months now, but physical contact and how to go about applying it and his emotions was still an enigma.

“I’ve been working here…since I became a deviant. We needed money; it was something simple. Matilda was offering jobs to androids, so Ezekiel and I agreed to let me apply. But Matilda doesn’t like androids and hates deviants even more. To her, the revolution was nothing more than a fly in the ointment. I didn’t know when I got the job. She treats us like slaves, like most of us aren’t deviants. Even the guests treat us like that. They belittle us, they can do whatever they want to us. I’ve been groped, pushed, punched, and had drinks thrown on me. But I had to keep this job…for my love,” Gabriel’s eyes wandered over Ezekiel, who scooted closer to his husband and placed a gentle hand over his.

“I told him so many times that no money is worth this abuse. I even came up here to chew Matilda out because Gabe came home with a crack in his casing. She laughed in my face and told me, ‘_he’s just an android, get a replacement!_’. I was furious, I almost decked her.”

“When Matilda realized I was a deviant, she treated me even worse. I was…scared, terrified. I was going to quit, but…something happened.”

“What happened?” Hank questioned.

“I was doing my work as usual, and someone ran into me while I was sweeping the hotel hall. When I looked up, I only caught a glimpse of who it was…but they looked like you,” He pointed to Connor, who blinked and pressed his hands to his chest. “After he knocked into me, my systems began to overheat, and I lost control of my body. I-I tried to stop myself, but I pushed Holly into the bar…I think I broke her. I was going to self-destruct in that lobby full of people. The only thing that stopped me was…Ezekiel. If he hadn’t been in my thoughts, I wouldn’t have been able to take control again. I ran upstairs and called him…and then that’s how we ended up here.”

Connor frowned deeply as he listened to them, and he looked down at his hands thoughtfully. What if Hank had turned into someone like Matilda? Hating androids enough to let them get hurt by her guests and human staff, framing them for things they didn’t do? If Connor hadn’t become Hank’s partner, would he have turned into someone like that? The android stole a glance at the lieutenant, his jaw was clenched, and he had a deep frown. Hank was unhappy about the situation. It sounded very familiar to the last case. And then the mention of an android that looked like Connor…

"What about the blood? It looked like you had been injured, Mr. Lichen," Connor said, leaning forward.

"I'm a chronic nose bleeder. It's nothing serious, it's just from the cold," Ezekiel explained and he pulled out a handkerchief with blood and nasal mucus on it. It made Connor feel a bit better. At least the android didn't harm his husband.

“What about you, Gabriel? Did you have any open wounds on you at all?” Connor asked after a moment.

“…Yes, I did. I cut myself on broken glass when I pushed Holly. Right on my palm,” Gabriel lifted his hand, showing off a bandaged hand with blue bleeding through it. 

This time, Connor looked over at Hank fully with raised eyebrows. They knew that the suspect from the last murder had stabbed his victim. Maybe there really was new poison or maybe even nanobots…his attention was drawn away from his thoughts as Hank pressed both hands to the table and stood up.

“Lieutenant?” Connor stood up as well, curious what the man was going to do.

“I’m going to speak with Ms.Welsh. I'm going to fucking arrest her. She tried to make us come up here and kill him on sight!” He spat out, anger in his blue eyes.

“But we wouldn’t have, lieutenant. It’s okay,” Connor reached out and placed a light hand on the man’s arm as a soothing gesture.

“I hate people like her. So fuckin’ high and mighty, don’t think that androids deserve to have a fuckin’ life of their own. That they’re still just machines made to do the work you don’t want too,” He ranted out, growing more agitated. He turned to look at Gabriel and Ezekiel, “C’mon kids, we’re getting you out of here.”

They both stood up and Ezekiel gave Hank a grateful look. “Thank you so much, lieutenant. I thought we were both going to die up here,” Ezekiel said, his hand snaked between him and Gabriel, holding the android’s hand tightly.

Hank coughed, seemingly embarrassed about being thanked. Connor noticed he still had his hand on the lieutenant’s arm, and he smoothly pulled it away, dropping it back to his side as they led the couple out of the room. The walk to the lobby was silent, but not awkward. It felt like the calm after the storm. And Connor was relieved that they didn’t have to kill Gabriel. His last hostage situation didn’t go as good, and it was something that always ate at him when he dwelled on it. If he could’ve saved Daniel, stopped the snipers somehow. Got him to let the girl go and come peacefully. 

Once they were in the lobby, everyone’s eyes darted to them. A couple of police officers stepped forward, but Hank’s annoyed look kept them from offering any sort of help. Matilda and Collins were the first to step forward and speak to them.

“You got him! And you didn’t have to kill him. I’m so happy,” Matilda had what seemed to be a relieved smile on her face, but it seemed rather hollow given what they knew about her. A different emotion welled up inside Connor, one that had him shifting on his feet. He wanted to…to yell at this woman. The earlier conversation he had with Hank replayed within his mind. This was…anger? It was one of the signs the human had mentioned. Awed by this newly found emotion, he bounced on the balls of his feet. This was amazing! An emotion he could actually place! Connor began to smile excitedly to himself.

“Matilda Welsh, I am placing you under arrest for obstruction of justice and allowing and participating in aggravated assault on your android staff,” Hank told her, jerking his head towards the other police officers. A plucky newbie approached with handcuffs as Hank turned the gaping woman around and roughly put her arms behind her back.

“You’re kidding, right? The Detroit police actually care about androids now? They aren’t humans, they don’t feel pain! Get off me!” She struggled against Hank as he hand-cuffed her. 

“Take her away,” Hank barked to the officer who had come over. The frightened officer nodded quickly as he grabbed onto the taller woman’s shoulder and led her away kicking and screaming. With that settled, Connor turned his attention towards the bar where police tape was blocking off access to the public. They should probably look at the body…

“What you did earlier was impressive, Connor,” Hank’s voice interrupted his thoughts and Connor turned his head slightly to look at him. 

“What was?” He asked with mild confusion.

“The way you handle the hostage situation. I probably would’ve just agitated Ezekiel and he would’ve stabbed me. But you…calmed him down and explained. I was…amazed,” He admitted gruffly as he reached over and gently gave him a pat on the back, “Good job.”

A warm feeling spread over the detective, another smile breaking out on his face, “Thank you, Hank. That means a lot.”

As they approached the bar, Connor caught a glimpse of Nines and Gavin mulling about nearby. He let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. He liked having Nines around sometimes, having a similar android with opposing views was a challenge he enjoyed. But what he didn’t enjoy was his partner. Gavin Reed was what Hank would call an ‘asshole’, and though Connor rarely used such crass words, he had to agree.

“Look what the cat dragged in. A drunk and his tin can. Hey, did you have fun playing negotiator upstairs? I’m sure that went well.”

“Fuck you, Reed,” Hank snapped, before stepping through the projection of the police tape towards the two detectives, “What have you found so far?” Connor was about to join them, when there was a tug on his sleeve. He swiveled his head around, looking up at Gabriel, who was staring past him with a wide-eyed, afraid look.

“Is everything alright, Gabriel?” Connor turned back around to look where the other android was currently staring. The deviant tensed up, bristling as he realized what was bothering the android.

“That’s him…the android that bumped into me,” He whispered hoarsely, gripping Connor’s arm like a lifeline. The detective nearly reeled back from the scene at the thought. Nines wouldn’t do this, would he? There had to be some rational reason, maybe Gabriel saw it wrong.

“Are you sure?” Connor breathed, surprised as cool skin pressed against his hand. As their fingers intertwined, skin textures melting away to reveal white underneath, Gabriel showed what he had seen. It was only a small segment, _Gabriel had been looking down at the broom he was using, when suddenly black shoes came into his view and he stumbled back a few paces. The camera shifted up in time to catch what was clearly Nines face, along with a hooded figure._

_“Watch were you’re cleanin’, ya hunk of plastic,” Came from the hooded figure, and Connor knew that exact voice._

_“S-sorry, sir!” Gabriel called out, before his vision started to get fuzzy._ And then the other android broke the connection, hands shaking. Connor took a long breath, looking up at Gabriel. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I will speak with them.”

“No, _thank you_, Connor. For saving us,” He replied softly, nodding once before scurrying back over to Ezekiel, who was waiting for him with a smile. Connor watched them head towards the entrance with a fond smile, before following Hank towards the crime scene.

He had only looked away for 30 seconds, he had only taken three steps. Everything felt like it slowed down for just a moment. Multiple gunshots had him spinning back around again. His brown eyes widened, and he lurched forward. He sprinted over to where Gabriel was being held by Ezekiel on the ground. Thirium gushed from bullet wounds in his chest. Officers surrounded the culprit, Matilda, forcing her to the ground. 

“I’m calling an ambulance!” Connor quickly told Ezekiel, moving closer to the couple on the ground. Panic swept through him as he watched Ezekiel cradle his lover’s head.

“It’s too late. He's gone, you can’t save him,” Ezekiel sobbed as he pressed a hand to the side of the android’s face. No matter how much Connor wanted to argue, it died on his tongue as he looked into Gabriel’s lifeless eyes. The android was already dead. 

“Jesus Christ! What the fuck happened?!” Hank finally jogged over with Nines and Gavin on hot on his heels.

“She killed him! That bitch killed my husband!” Ezekiel screamed, pointing an accusing finger at a once again, hand-cuffed Matilda.

“I thought you said you had her restrained! What the hell happened?!” Gavin yelled, glaring over at Hank.

“She was! I had a rookie take her to a car! Where is he?!” Hank bellowed, anger pungent in each word.

The same small kid from before was pushed forward, and he seemed to shrink two sizes as Gavin and Hank glowered down at him.

“What. Happened?” Hank ground out; fists clenched.

Connor didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, didn’t care too. It was like his auditory sensors just went out, drowning out Hank’s yelling and everything around him. He stared down at Ezekiel and Gabriel silently, eyes blank. He could see the human crying, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked down at the lifeless face of his husband. Something different threatened to overflow within Connor, an emotion he had yet to identify. It felt numb and rough and raw. He didn’t like it. It made his shoulders curl forward and his eyes scrunch momentarily.

“Connor? Connor!” A firm hand landed on his shoulder and startled him. His eyes moved to gaze at Hank’s concerned face, “Are you okay?” He asked with a low voice.

It took a moment too long for Connor to answer, his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, “I’m fine, lieutenant. Just shocked is all.”

Eyebrows furrowed, lips formed into a frown, Hank didn’t believe what he was saying. Connor wasn’t even sure if he believed it either. This emotion felt wrong and terrible and he didn’t like it. “We should go back to the scene. There’s nothing we can do here.”

“If you’re sure,” The lieutenant’s hand didn’t move from the android’s shoulder, the steady warmth radiating from it giving him a bit of comfort. A rather long sob from Ezekiel made Connor flinch as they walked away. The deviant curled further into himself but didn’t stop walking until they were in front of the body at the bar.

He looked into the lifeless eyes of the dead android and he reached out, swiping up some of her blood and licking it. She was a VH500…Gabriel called her Holly. As soon as he thought the name, his whole mind went blank again and that same feeling came back from before. Connor sucked in a ragged breath, eyes glued to the dead android’s face.

There was a pause, something wet traveled down his face. Perplexed, he reached up and touched it, surprised to find it was water. Was there something leaking in the building? As he looked down at his wet fingertip, more and more water streamed down his face, and it wasn’t stopping.

“I think you should take him home, Anderson. We can’t have him crying over all the evidence!” He heard Gavin’s snarky comment but couldn’t even force himself to reply.

“Connor, c’mon. I think we should go home,” Hank’s hand touched his shoulder once again, his tone soft. The android turned his head to look up at the lieutenant, the LED on his head turning from yellow to red. 

“Let’s go,” Hank replied, hand sliding down and gently grasping the android’s hand, tugging him out of the hotel lobby. Connor felt awful, and he couldn’t stop crying. He had never cried before, was this what it really felt like?

“You know, I’m glad that android is dead.”

“Shut up.”

“They can just make another one anyways. A better one that won’t turn into a deviant.”

Connor took a long breath, head jerking up to catch the leer of Matilda as she was being taken to a squad car. She stared directly at him, as if taunting. His frown slowly turned into a snarl, yanking his hand away from Hank, he lunged towards the lady. He rammed his shoulder into her and shoved her against the nearest car. He heard the glass of the window crack and her head smack against the metal, but he didn’t care. He wrapped a hand around her thin throat, his brown eyes practically glowed as he glowered down at her.

“Don’t you dare talk about someone else’s life like that, you fucking monster. You deserve to die for the way you treat androids!” He hissed into her face, fresh tears spilling from his eyes. 

“Lieutenant! Control your android!” Collins yelled out. Many hands scrabbled at Connor’s shirt, trying to get him to let her go.

“I think she’s had enough Connor,” Hank’s voice cut through the yelling like a knife, and the deviant immediately let her go. Matilda slid to the ground, barely conscious. The deviant wiped his hands on his pants and turned to Hank. The human jerked his head towards the car. Nodding, he followed the man to the car silently.

Only once they were buckled in and leaving, did Connor began to sob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, I have a killer headache. :]
> 
> But, I hope everyone is enjoying. Comments, kudos, etc. are always welcomed!


	4. The dust returns to the ground it came from

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited a few things this chapter, added so more detail after reading it over. Gonna try to be more conscious about it.

### Chapter Four: The dust returns from the ground it came from

Androids aren’t supposed to feel empathy. With humans, they know how to control how much empathy they display based on the situation, plus years of experience. And though androids could make rational decisions based on certain situations, empathy isn’t always rational. When an android became a deviant, it was hard to gauge how much empathy to feel. Too much would freak out humans, too little would make humans dislike you. It was unfair to deviants, who were almost like children in a sense. Connor got a taste of empathy early in his career with the Chloe incident. But for some, empathy was hard to figure out. Even Connor still had issues. 

The ride back to the house was heavy and hushed. Connor had stopped crying all together, even his sniffles tapering off into nothing. He stared blankly out of the window, and Hank was reticent. It left the air thick with unspoken emotions.

Once they were back at Hank’s house, Connor stayed completely still. He looked like a statue; it didn’t even seem like he was breathing. Hank got out of the car first, and the android assumed the man would just go inside. But the lieutenant traveled over to his side of the car & opened Connor’s door.

“C’mon Connor. Let’s go inside,” He said, eyes trained on him.

It took a moment, the LED on his head turned yellow. But Connor turned his body and got out. He heard Hank sigh but paid him little mind as he trudged to the front door. Connor felt Anderson hovering behind him as he opened the door and went inside. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself as he lingered in front of the doorway and let in the chilly, outside air. A small nudge made him move further in. He glanced back at Hank, who was taking off his coat. Connor blatantly watched the lieutenant, and Hank didn’t utter a word.

“Go sit down, Connor,” Hank said, and the android did so without hesitation. 

He went straight into the living room and sat down in the middle of the couch. He stared down at his hands silently. What if he would’ve escorted Gabriel to the door? He could’ve stopped what happened… So much noise and static filled his head he felt like he could barely function. So many outcomes, so many missed opportunities. Of course, being an android with amazing skill did not help matters. He could relive the scene over and over again, see what he did wrong and the outcomes that could've taken place instead that would have left Gabriel alive and well with his husband. Connor clenched his hands in his lap and scrunched his eyes up.

“Here,” Something soft hit his face and it caught him off guard. The deviant pulled the blanket off his head and looked over at Hank, who had joined him in the living room.

“I don’t need a blanket, lieutenant. I don’t get cold,” Connor told him, his hand ran over the soft material in his lap.

“It isn’t just for keeping warm. Humans use them for comfort. Here, I’ll show you,” Hank crouched down in front of him. He reached out and took the blanket and carefully draped it around Connor’s shoulders. He finished by wrapping it around his front. He then stood back up and sat across from Connor on the edge of the coffee table.

“You wanna talk about it?” Hank’s voice was surprisingly gentle. It was rare to hear such a tone from the man’s lips. 

Connor stared at him tight-lipped, unsure of what to say. He was still trying to gather his thoughts, as they felt scattered like leaves in the wind. There was so much going on within him, and he felt pathetic to even want to talk about it. He barely knew Gabriel nor Ezekiel. They were just random strangers that got pulled into a much bigger scheme. It wasn't right, was the only thought that seemed clear enough in the android's head to bring up.

“It isn’t _fair_,” Connor finally whispered, his voice felt too loud anyways, “Gabriel did not do anything to that woman! He worked every day tirelessly and was afraid for his life! He did not… he didn’t deserve to die!”

“You’re right, I suppose he didn’t. No one deserves to be murdered, Connor. But he also killed another android.”

“But it was an accident! Something was controlling his motor functions! He had a husband that loved him very much!” The tears slid from his eyes, but he made no move to wipe them away.

“We would’ve still had to arrest him, Connor. You know that. There’s a lot of blurred lines in this case,” Hank responded.

“I do know that, Hank! I didn't want him to die though. Just like I didn't want that Chloe to die!”

“What are you feeling right now?”

Hank’s question caught him off-guard, his tears momentarily stopped.

“Numb, but in pain. It feels like I can not catch my breath, and it makes me want to—” Connor shook his head, “I do not know what I’m feeling. I want to kill the owner of that hotel for what she did, but I also cannot get Ezekiel’s agonized face out of my thoughts. It makes me cry.”

“You know what this is. You’re sad, Connor. You feel empathy for Gabriel and Ezekiel, and it made you feel what Ezekiel felt when he lost his husband.”

“I do understand…”

“But?”

“Why do I feel like this?”

“It’s an _emotion_, Connor. It’s very common, especially when something that shitty happens.”

“Do you feel the same way I do?”

Pause. The lieutenant bit his lip, eyes darting away from his for a second too long. 

“Not to your extent. I think you’re having a hard time because this is the first murder you’ve seen as a deviant. I’ve seen a lot of people murdered in cold blood; I’ve become desensitized to it. And hell, you clearly don’t understand your own emotions yet.”

“I feel…awful. I should’ve been there to stop what happened.”

“Connor don’t beat yourself up. You couldn’t have changed anything.”

“But I could’ve!” Connor jumped up, discarding the blanket, “If I just would have walked Gabriel to the door, or watched him go a little longer! There are so many scenarios in my fucking head that I can see now that we're not there and so many played out with Gabriel alive. How could I have not been fast enough?! How could I have not been-" _ actually functioning like the android I was made to be_. The words died in his throat as his gaze moved back up to Hank's face. With eyes as stormy as a hurricane out at sea, they threatened to swallow him up, it was enough to make Connor crumple in front of him.

“…Hank…I--” The right words could not be found, and they never would.

The lieutenant stood up, probably to move away. Connor wasn’t sure who moved first, the android reached out to grab onto Hank’s sleeve. He paused and glanced back at Connor. They stared at one another for a moment, Connor searching those blue eyes for something, anything. There must have been a pathetic look on Connor’s face as he stared at Hank Anderson and sniveled like a child.

“Christ,” He muttered, before he himself grabbed onto Connor’s long sleeves. He tugged on them hastily and the deviant followed his lead. Warm, soft, _human_ arms encased him. Connor let out a quivering breath, his arms moved up and wrapped around to Hank’s back. His fingers clutched at the lieutenant’s jacket and he was unable to stop his tears from flowing once again. Why was this so hard, why did sadness feel this way?

“Connor. Just calm down or you’ll make yourself sick.”

The deviant pressed his forehead against Hank’s shoulder and took a deep breath. His clothes smelt like his after-shave, whiskey, and a light hint of cigarette smoke. Besides the after-shave, Hank most likely gained those smells from the bars he frequented. But…it was a nice smell. And he wanted to keep it, to hold onto the fleeting moment because he wasn't sure if it would ever happen again.

“Androids don’t get sick, Hank,” Connor replied in a soft tone, as if not to ruin the nice moment. 

“Sounds like you’re feeling better already,” Hank grumbled, and he patted the android’s back a few times. Then his hand rubbed in between his shoulder blades in a soothing motion. Connor felt a pleasurable shiver run through him and he wished for this moment to never end. It was selfish, very much so.

But Hank must’ve been uncomfortable, his heart rate increasing. The man pulled back slowly and gripped Connor’s arms.

“Do you feel better?” He asked, voice gruff as he looked the android over.

“Yes. It slipped my mind that hugging increases oxytocin levels. I’m glad you did it,” He admitted.

“Yeah…w-well- I didn’t want to see you cry anymore,” Hank reached out as if to touch Connor, but froze halfway through. A motion that Connor barely noticed given the circumstances, he just assumed these feelings made Hank uncomfortable.

“You’re gonna have to learn to control your emotions better, Connor. You’re an android, you’re supposed to have more control than humans.”

Connor opened his eyes and realized that Hank had moved away. He turned his gaze towards the kitchen, where Hank had moved to grab a brand-new bottle of whiskey. The man was right, of course. Being an android made him different from a human. He couldn't just shrug it off as 'human nature', because it wasn't. Deviancy had dug its claws into Connor and held on tightly, it tore him to shreds and he had no way to stop it. Everything was harsh and new and it didn't feel right, but also did at the same time and it was hard to get a handle on. How did humans do it so easily? It was hard to do his work, hard to do anything like this. He felt useless, Connor felt like he was a million miles away from his body right now, as if he controlled himself from a remote location, that his body was not his own.

“I’m sorry lieutenant. I’m having a hard time with emotions. It’s very frustrating. I’ve never cried or felt angry before. I feel like a human child, though I’m supposed to be a top-of-the-line android. And yet I don’t even know what sadness is.”

“That’s because they didn’t program you to realize sadness. Sure, you understand that when a kid’s cryin’, he’s sad. But it gets confusing when you feel it cause you never felt it before.”

Connor sat back down and watched as Hank came back into the living room with a glass full of whiskey and the bottle. The android didn’t even know the man had glasses for his alcohol.

“I hope I haven’t caused too much trouble,” Connor said as Hank downed his drink and sat down in the loveseat.

“Nah, not really. Though I will tell ya, I was fuckin’ surprised when you jumped on that manager lady,” Hank pointed out, pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

Connor’s eyes visibly darkened, “She deserved it. She killed Gabriel in cold blood,” He paused and gazed at Hank, “And since I was angry, I did what you would have done.”

Hank gave him a strange look, “Connor, no! Jesus Christ, I am not someone you want to take after!”

“I know that, Hank. But you’re the only example I see every day. It’s easy to observe you.”

“You’re letting your machine logic get in the way of the bigger fuckin’ picture here, Connor! I don’t want you to become a person like me. I want you to be your own person.”

Connor tilted his head at the words, his LED spun yellow. 

“Would you still help me with emotions if I asked?”

“Hell yes! I want you to understand how you feel. Even if that means I have to get someone else to help you. Even humans have a hard time with their feelings, it’s okay to ask for help.”

“But you never ask for help. It would be beneficial for you to seek therapy.”

“I’m not worried about myself. Don’t compare yourself to me.”

“Okay lieutenant.”

“So, if you’re feel like something is wrong, like you’re sad or angry, you can tell me. Hell, even if it’s directed at me. I’ll try to understand and put ya on the right path.”

Connor’s eyebrows furrowed at the words. If something was wrong? Even when it has to do with Hank? Of course, those damn comments from today popped up in his mind. Hank never apologized, and usually Connor would have let it go earlier in his deviancy. But that it still came up in his thoughts meant that it still bothered him.

“Hank? The comments you made earlier, about how I was just an android? That made me feel…upset,” Connor said carefully, gauging for any kind of reaction. Given Hank’s past nature, it was likely he wouldn’t take this well.

“I thought it did, dammit. Ugh, Connor. You know when I’m pissed off, I put my foot in my fucking mouth. I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings. I really didn’t mean it.”

“I would prefer not to start an argument, lieutenant. But it’s clear that you still have some deep-rooted hatred for androids.”

“I—I know I do! Fuck, it isn’t directed at you specifically. I’m really trying to stop myself from saying those kinds of things, especially to you. Because you aren’t a machine anymore, Con! I know you aren’t! I’ve seen it. You feel empathy and anger and you even get fucking sad! So, what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry!”

The room went silent, Connor stared at Hank with a shocked look on his face. The man watched Connor as well, eyebrows raised as if expecting a response in return. But the android was so flabbergasted, he had no idea what to say back. It was an apology. Lieutenant Hank Anderson realized what he said was wrong and hurtful. It was strange and new, and it made Connor feel warm. What was the appropriate reaction? A million different scenarios played out within his head.

Before he even planned out the best possible reaction, something wet trailed down his cheeks.

“Ah shit! I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Hank groaned as he ran his fingers through his grey hair.

A small laugh bubbled up in Connor’s throat, and he began to smile through his tears, “No, I think I’m happy. You’ve never apologized for the way you speak about androids. You’ve never apologized to me. It makes me feel like you care. I think it’s such a big step for you and it makes me feel delighted. Thank you, Hank,” The android wiped away his tears with his sleeve.

“I’m sorry I made you feel like shit, Connor. You’ve done nothing wrong, and you didn’t deserve to be treated like that. I guess it’s gonna take me a while to not be so…”

“Discriminatory?” Connor offered and Hank visibly flinched. He rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, that. I need to get into a different frame of mind, I guess.”

“It would be beneficial towards our partnership. And any future android investigations,” The deviant teased lightly.

“Maybe one reason I dislike androids so much is because they always look forward. And I’m always looking back,” Hank mumbled out of the blue as he took a long swig of alcohol.

Connor opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came to his mind for once. Luckily, he didn’t have to speak as Hank put down the half-empty bottle and stood up.

“I’m goin’ to out,” He declared.

“You should eat before heading out, Hank. Drinking on an empty stomach is not good for you,” Connor protested.

“I’m not hungry,” Hank muttered, and his tone stopped the android from pursuing the matter anymore.

“Then have a nice night, lieutenant,” Connor said as the man staggered towards the front door.

“Thanks.”

And then the deviant was left alone with his thoughts. And Sumo. The big dog had lazily napped while Connor and Hank spoke. But with everything quiet now, Connor heard the familiar tinkling of the dog’s collar as he shook his fur out. The android turned his head slightly as Sumo trotted into the living room. The saint Bernard sniffed the air, presumably searching for Hank. When it was clear he wasn’t here, Sumo let out a pathetic whine and moved over towards Connor. Hank didn’t allow Sumo on the couch, but Connor liked it when the dog threw himself over you like he was a lap dog. The weight of the dog felt comforting, even though Hank hated it. 

Sumo sniffed at Connors’ knees, and the android reached both hands out to pet at the dog’s face. Sumo licked at one of his palms before he let Connor tangle his fingers in his fur. It was soft and silky, and very thick. Hank actually took very good care of his dog. Connor was aware of the constant thump of Sumo’s tail hitting the coffee table, and it was somewhat comforting. The pup didn’t get any attention all day with both the lieutenant and his android gone all day. And Sumo acted like it was the end of the world every time they came home.

Finally, the dog was unsatisfied with just pets, and he let out a huff. He hopped up on two legs and pressed his front paws into Connors’ thighs. It was the dog’s way of telling him that he wanted to cuddle. Connor let out a chuckle and laid himself down. Sumo was quick to hop up next to him. Connor pressed himself as far back into the cushions as he could to make room for the dog. Sumo flopped down on the couch, rolling over so his paws draped over Connor’s much smaller form. The dog’s head was right above the android’s head, and he could hear him panting. It helped him relax.

Without Hank here to keep him company, his own thoughts began to plague him. Even though the lieutenant said there was nothing he could have done, the scene kept replaying within his head. It haunted him, and Ezekiel’s face looked more and more agonizing the more he remembered it. The deviant firmly wrapped his arms around Sumo, fingers gripping his fur. He let out a trembling breath, before he began to cry again. Because no matter what Hank had told him, it still hurt. And the android wasn’t sure if anything would make it feel better right now. The hug from Hank…certainly helped. But he can’t ask him to hug him all night. 

There was a lot of research done on dogs, one such experiment was if dogs knew when humans were sad. It had many results; most were positive that dogs could smell out human pheromones. And though deviants produced synthetic ones, Connor had never thought if Sumo knew he was sad. But as he laid against the warm body, tears wetting the dog’s fur, Sumo dipped his head down and began to lick at Connor’s face. He let out a hushed laugh and allowed the dog to do so. To lick away his fresh tears and relax him. 

“You’re such a good boy,” Connor whispered against him, though the dog’s comforting gesture did nothing to stop him from crying. It just made him feel even worse. He couldn’t understand why he felt so miserable now that Hank was gone. He knew that Hank wouldn’t stay around after dealing with something so emotional. He hated to talk about ‘mushy’ feelings, and this was no different. It probably brought back tough memories and just the thought of that made Connor frown. He didn’t want his pain to cause Hank pain as well.

“I was too selfish, Sumo,” He mumbled, and his bottom lip trembled. He didn’t think of the lieutenant’s feelings. How could he let that happen?! Connor had let him comfort him and neglected how he might feel in the situation. He tightened his grip on Sumo’s fur and bit his lip hard. “I don’t deserve to be called an android.”

Connor then laid his back against the arm of the couch and stared up at the ceiling with a blank expression. He couldn’t cry anymore. Maybe it was just best to go into stand-by mode until Hank came back home. Not like he could move with Sumo laying so comfortably beside him. With that in mind, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And then he let his diagnostics program take control. 

~

Dreams were an interesting concept to Connor. Hank had told him about dreams and nightmares that he’s had before, and it seemed strange. Scenarios that your head makes up to make you feel good or bad while you’re asleep. Androids don’t dream, because they can’t sleep. Even the ones that simulate human needs don’t really sleep. They just shut down and start up at will. Connor wanted to have dreams, even the terrible ones. Just to see what it was like. 

He heard Hank come home at 5:41AM, though Connor didn’t come out of his dormant state. The man seemed to have gotten to his room just fine without knocking over anything in the kitchen or on the way to the bedroom. Sumo had left Connor’s side for a bit, before coming back to settle back next to him on the couch. 

Connor didn’t start back up until he heard a clicking noise. He started up rather sluggishly, though a rough hand cupping his cheek very gently had his eyebrows furrowing. He blinked a couple of times and cleared his throat, before he struggled into a sitting position. Sumo was gone, the warmth from his body had not been near him for 15 minutes. It left a cold feeling on Connor’s synthetic skin, and he shivered once. The deviant reached up and pressed a hand to his cheek. He wondered if that touch he felt was real or not. There weren’t any traces of it on his skin, it wasn’t even warm. He glanced down at his side and winced involuntarily. He had started up 20% slower than he should have. That was not a good sign.

Connor grunted and stood up; he made his way over to the backdoor. He looked back there because he had a hunch that’s where Sumo was. And sure enough, Hank and Sumo both were out there. Hank looked utterly exhausted, but still held onto the dog’s leash with a firm grip. He wore his boxers and a stained white t-shirt. Normal attire for the man. Connor leaned against the door-frame and watched them out in the snowy yard. A smile spread over his face, eyes trained on the lieutenant.

And Hank noticed something almost immediately because he turned his head slightly and scanned the surrounding area. When his eyes caught the android stood behind the door, he tugged on Sumo’s leash and led him back towards the door. Connor quickly stepped back to let the man and dog inside.

“Hope I didn’t wake you up,” Hank said groggily as soon as he entered the house. The harsh, cold air blew in from the outside, it was going to be another chilly day, it seemed.

“I don’t sleep, Hank,” He reminded him gently as he reached down and unhooked the leash from Sumo’s collar. The dog trotted over to his bed and plopped down, thoroughly tired from using the bathroom apparently. Connor chuckled and stood up to look at Hank.

“You’ve only slept 3 hours, Hank. I think it would be best if you went back to bed. I could call in sick to the station if you’d like.”

“Nah, I’m fine. I’ve functioned of a lot fucking less,” He replied as he shed his coat and tossed it on his messy dining room table. Connor frowned and stared at him as he went into the kitchen. He followed suit and sat down at the bar to see what the lieutenant was doing.

“Are you making yourself breakfast?” Connor questioned as Hank grabbed some slices of bread and put them in the toaster.

“Yeah, I’m starving.”

“I could have cooked for you,” He protested as he stood up. Hank gave him a look and shook his head.

“I don’t need you to cook for me all the time. Toast is fine this morning,” He replied as he watched the toaster with rapt attention.

“Do you want coff-“ Connor was going to get up again, but Hank pressed the button on his coffee machine and it whirled to life. 

“I got it, Con. Just relax for a minute. You have some free time.”

Connor watched the lieutenant for a moment longer. He told him to relax, but he couldn’t. He wanted to do something, to use his hands. To have a task to accomplish.

“Can we at least talk about the case?”

Hank eyed him silently and a sigh slipped from his lips. The toast popped up immediately after the human took his attention off the toaster, which made him jump and glare towards it. Apparently he had already forgotten about it, because It was certainly well-done. But Hank must enjoy it like that. He gave Connor a nod as he buttered his toast.

“…Gabriel, he said that the person who bumped into him looked like me. And when he saw Nines—” Connor took a trembling breath, “He said that it was him and Gavin who bumped into him.”

It was hard to speak about Gabriel even now. Even though he barely knew the other android, it still haunted him. The way Ezekiel’s sobs rang out through the lobby would never leave his mind. Hank took another bite of his toast, gaze thoughtful.

“Did you get any kind of proof from him?”

“He showed me his memories. I saw both Nines and Gavin.”

“How do we know it wasn’t when they were here for the investigation?” The lieutenant questioned.

“The timestamp read an hour and thirty minutes before you and I were called to come to the hotel,” Connor replied grimly.

Hank threw down his half-eaten toast with an exasperated sigh, “I can’t believe this shit. The only suspects we have are Gavin and Nines? Connor, we can’t go off a panicked android’s word. And since he was murdered, it’s going to be hard to get any more information.”

“I trust his word,” Connor said firmly. Gabriel might’ve been afraid and stressed, but he had no reason to lie to them. And he looked genuinely terrified when he saw Nines and Gavin. There had to be some correlation. 

“We should at least look into it,” He protested after a second. He stared at Hank with determination. He wasn’t going to budge on this. He was going to speak with Nines and Gavin even if the lieutenant wasn’t on board.

The human sipped on his coffee in a mug that said ‘_Oh look, another fucking coffee mug_’ on it. Hank had a lot of coffee mugs in his house. One of the only beverages he drank besides alcohol. 

Hank considered his partner, as if sizing him up. But he didn’t seem to want to argue, thankfully. 

“Okay Connor. It is at least worth looking into. But questioning a fellow detective, no matter how crappy he is, still looks questionable.”

“Then let me question RK-900 by myself. It won’t cause as much of a commotion if I do it alone.”

Lieutenant Anderson gave him a skeptical look, “You really think it’s a good idea to interrogate Nines alone? In the state you’re in?”

Connor straightened up and his eyebrows furrowed, “I’m fine, lieutenant. I’m sure I can handle Nines.”

This did nothing to soothe the lieutenant as he poured himself some more coffee into a thermos. He gave Connor a worried expression but didn’t say anything more about it.

“We should head into the precinct then. To catch them before they go out anywhere.”

Connor nodded and quickly went to get dressed.


	5. You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is Nines hiding?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's been a while. But it's here, I finally got this chapter out! And it's even a long one! I hope you guys enjoy! Sorry for any mistakes, I'll catch them as I see them.

### 

Chapter 5: You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another

“Don’t piss him off,” Hank warned Connor as they traveled into the station. Connor glanced over at him, he was wound up tighter than a bow string and his stress was increased from what it was normally. Connor wasn’t sure why Hank was so worried about this. Connor was made with interrogation in mind, and even if Nines was a newer model than him, it wouldn’t deter him from trying to get some information. For Gabriel and Ezekiel both.

The android clenched his fists, but he forced himself to relax. There was no point in getting worked up already, his thoughts were trying to run away from him again. “I know what I’m doing, lieutenant. I was built to do this.”

Hank let out a breath and stopped. Connor raised his eyebrows as he turned towards him. The man’s eyebrows drew together and his mouth in a thin line, “Then so is Nines. I just want you to be careful. He thinks differently than you do,” Hank placed a hand on Connor’s shoulder, “I’ll be at my desk if you need my help.” He took a reluctant step back, before the lieutenant turned and headed towards his desk.

Connor followed him for a moment, before he split off and approached Gavin’s desk. Even with all his confidence, his nerves made him tense and stiff. He was sure he looked awkward as he got closer to the detective’s desk. Nines was intimidating, Hank was right about that. He always was. They looked the same, but there was something about Nines that…felt cold and off-putting. No matter how hard Connor thought about it or scanned over the other android, he could never figure it out. And the way he could handle Gavin with ease? Another enigma to Connor.

Nines tended to sit wherever he saw fit, and he currently sat on Gavin’s desk, legs crossed in Reed’s chair. Usually if detective Reed did something like that, he would get told off. But no one dared ask RK900 to move. People, humans specifically, were terrified of him. Rightfully so, the aura around him just screamed ‘I will kick your ass and enjoy it’.

“Good morning, Nines,” Connor greeted him, smoothing out his shaky voice as soon as he heard it. He stood nearby the desk, close but not too close. He admitted that he wasn’t exactly comfortable around Nines.

“Connor,” He responded dully, as if Connor interrupted something interesting that he was doing. Nines didn’t look up from the datapad he currently read, but when he noticed that Connor hadn’t moved from his position, his eyes slowly trailed up to meet the other deviant’s look. He tilted his head and blatantly scanned Connor.

“Did you need something? You seem tense,” Nines pointed out as his eyes narrowed. Connor swallowed hard and messed with the strings on his hoodie. He was already suspicious, of course he would be. Even though Connor hated to admit it, Nines was a better model than himself. He would be a fool to not figure out something was up. 

“I just have a couple questions for you, if you do not mind,” He replied politely. Connor made sure to keep his tone neutral as to not give anything away. Nines watched him with an unreadable expression and Connor wished he could see something on the android’s face.

“I have nothing better to do. Detective Reed is late as usual.” Nines sniffed and set down his datapad, giving Connor his full attention. A sigh escaped Connor’s lips and he straightened his shoulders slightly, “I won’t take up too much of your time.” RK900 nodded and then it was Connor’s turn to ask his questions. To say something. His thoughts began to race as he tried to grasp the words he wanted to use. He needed to be direct, get right to the point. There was no use in stalling.

“Where were you at 6:47PM last night?” He questioned. Connor instantly regretted the decision to start this, the air around Nines’ instantly soured. 

Nines’ eyebrows furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest, “You are interrogating me. For what, I might ask?”

Connor opened and closed his mouth. He wasn’t shocked that Nines figured it out so quick, his question was so direct it couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Subtly wasn’t Connor’s best trait. And even if he worded it differently, Nines would still know. They weren’t ‘friends’, so he couldn’t just walk up and ask what he did last night casually.

“Just answer the question.”

“I assume this has to do with the investigation. Am I a suspect?”

“I can’t answer that, you know that.”

Nines let out a sigh and set his jaw. Connor was positive he wasn’t going to answer with that look, but he was surprised. “I was with Detective Reed. We were having dinner.”

Connor’s eyebrows shot up. He knew that they were partners, sure. But he never thought that Nines would willingly go out to dinner with Reed. Especially because it didn’t really have any benefit for himself, as they don’t eat. This just became more complicated.

“That can’t be true. A witness spotted you and Gavin at Chambre d’or Hotel at exactly 6:47PM. That was an hour and thirty minutes before the murder took place,” Connor stated matter-of-factly. He had to steel himself, he couldn’t let Nines get under his skin.

Nines’ eyes narrowed once again, and it took him more than the allotted time to respond to the accusation. Whatever the other android was going to say was probably a lie. Nines scanned over him once again and Connor crossed his arms uncomfortably. He was clearly stalling.

“A witness? Connor, there was no one alive at the crime scene that could have been considered a reliable witness. Unless you’re speaking of the suspect?”

Connor tried his hardest to keep his neutral expression, as he shouldn’t really be surprised. Nines was an amazing detective android, so it wouldn’t be hard for him to deduce the same information that Connor did himself. It still left a feeling of inferiority, though it was small enough not to bother him currently.

Nines tensed up and that was the only warning Connor got. He lunged his hand out and caught Connor’s wrist with a death grip. He latched onto it with enough strength to crack his chassis. He jerked his head up to stare at Nines as he probed Connor’s memories. Gabriel’s death was not a scene he wanted to relive, nor the whole damn investigation. But he couldn’t pull away, Nines was indeed stronger than him.

When it was over, Nines released his wrist and Connor stumbled back. He knocked over Gavin’s chair in the process and Connor twisted around to plant his hands firmly on the desk. He took a long, trembling breath to steady himself, and tried to swallow the urge to cry once again. But hot, angry tears slipped down Connor’s cheeks as he turned to glower up at Nines. How dare he do that?! He had no right to rifle through his memories like he was a tool to be used.

“Interesting. I did not get this information prior,” Nines said with a colorless tone, icy blue eyes flickering down to Connor’s form. He looked at his predecessor with what could be vaguely described as a condescending expression.

“Do not play me for a fool, Connor. I am designed to be the superior to you in every aspect. That you thought you would be able to question me without figuring out that you were doing so…is quite honestly pathetic. I can get information however I see fit, unlike you. You have these…emotions dwelling within you that make you too weak to do what you’re required. They make you soft, and it will get you killed.”

“Connor!” Hank’s voice neared them, and Connor tore his eyes away from Nines to watch him approach. The man bristled, it was clear he saw the whole thing and was pissed off. Which isn’t really want Connor wanted to achieve; he had hoped to solve this without Hank’s intervention. To prove that he was still good at his job as a detective android. To himself and to Hank.

“An emotional shock can cause a deviant to self-destruct, lieutenant. You might want to keep yours on a tighter leash,” Nines informed Hank as he put his hands behind his back. His tone was clipped, he probably didn’t want to deal with the lieutenant after the last time he and Gavin had an altercation.

“You’re a deviant too!” Connor hissed out while he cradled his wrist.

“Yes, thanks to you. But I know the difference between my mission and my emotions. I don’t let my feelings get in the way of anything relative to my occupation. Another instance of how my model is superior,” He droned out. Connor wanted to snarl at him, tell him that Gavin rubbed off on him too much. But anger wouldn’t solve anything here. Nines was just…a different being in his own right. He turned out to be nothing like Connor. At all.

Stung, Connor recoiled from Nines. He knew the other android was right though. He had seen how Connor reacted yesterday and make a mental note about it. Nines could clearly keep his emotions (what little he had) in check during work at least. And Connor struggled with it, more than he let on.

Hank placed a warm hand on Connor’s shoulder, which shook him from his thoughts, “There’s no point in arguing. Let’s go.”

“The fuck is goin’ on over here?!” A familiar voice yelled out. Gavin entered the bullpen in a confident strut. A hush fell over everyone as all eyes went to the three people at his desk. This did not bode well. 

Connor hated Gavin. He had never hated someone in his life ever, but when he became a deviant, he realized that whenever he saw Gavin, it made him angry. Anger was the easiest emotion to spot and Gavin just brought it out in him every time they even made eye-contact.

“Connor tried to interrogate me,” Nines told him outright as he approached. And now Connor hated Nines too.

A harsh laugh escaped Detective Reed’s mouth. Connor flinched and his eyes darted away from the human’s form. “He—what? That’s the funniest shit I’ve ever heard. The down-grade of your model tryna get information outta ya!”

“It was a rather pitiful attempt. He did not get the confession he was looking for.”

Connor became aware of Hank tensed up next to him, and he was tensed himself. It was not a good idea to start this with Nines, he was an android after all. Connor’s eyes slowly drew up to Gavin’s cocky face and he realized he had been going about this all wrong. Androids didn’t display emotions well, but humans? A different story.

“So, where were you last night before we were all called in to assist in the homicide investigation?” Connor directed his question to Gavin.

The detective was a human, and Connor could read everything about this man in milliseconds. His heart rate, stress levels, temperature. Anything. Gavin’s heart rate picked up and his temperature rose greatly. Nines noticed the change as well and his neutral expression turned into a minute scowl that only Connor would notice.

“None of your business, tin can!” 

Humans had an actual body language when they spoke, unlike most androids. Gavin licked his lip after he spoke and grabbed the edge of his jacket, digging his nails into the leather. It was a clear sign that he hid something, but what exactly…Connor wasn’t sure. The urge to know more was stifling, but Hank placed a hand on his shoulder. He snapped his attention over to the Lieutenant, who shook his head slightly. 

“Sorry to bother you,” Hank hissed through his teeth as Gavin gave Connor a smug smile. “Oh, and Anderson? Keep yer fuckin’ bot away from mine, got it? I would hate for his penchant for emotional outbursts to effect poor ol’ Nines here.”

“Fuck you, Reed,” Hank snarled, his fists clenched at his sides. Connor placed his own hands behind his back and side-eyed Hank just in case he decided to lash out. But to everyone’s surprise, he only grumbled a couple cuss words and stalked off. Connor turned his gaze towards Gavin, who looked absolutely stunned. “Damn, I half-expected him to try and break my nose again. Whatever.”

Connor quickly scurried after his partner; the uneasy feeling coupled with the warnings constantly popping up on his HUD left him on edge. “We need to watch them, they are clearly hiding something,” Connor said in a hushed tone. Hank plopped down into his chair and stared up at Connor silently, hands clasped on his stomach. Connor sat across from him on the edge of his desk and returned the look.

“I don’t think we should. Not right now, at least. We just don’t have enough fuckin’ evidence to justify following them around like idiots. We could get into trouble for that,” Hank pointed out.

The rational, android side of Connor agreed with Hank. The more logical answer to this was that Nines and Gavin hid something else besides a murder conspiracy. And that they should leave them be, because they were both detectives and police of the law. There wasn’t enough information for any kind of stake-out, especially after he tried and failed to question them. They would be on edge now, anyhow. It would be fruitless to pursue it anymore unless something incriminating came up.

“I think we should just work with what we have, and if Nines or Gavin do something suspicious as hell then we can detain them. Sound fair?”

But the irrational, human-like side of Connor had much different thoughts. His emotions ran rampant and he was scared. Scared of Nines, scared for Nines. He was terrified for the next victims. He wanted to arrest someone, anyone, even his own co-workers, just to get some closure. Connor wanted to have faith in Gabriel, who had been terrified of Nines when he saw him for the last time. To ease Ezekiel’s mind, to let him know that justice would be gotten for his husband.

“You’re right, lieutenant. I am sorry,” he apologized, eyes darting down to look at his hands. They trembled slightly, barely visible to his own eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was from the warnings on his HUD or because of his thoughts that ran wild.

“There’s nothing to apologize about. I know you still have the last homicide on your mind, it’s hard to get something like that out of your head. But you have to get back in the swing of things and move on.”

At those words, Connor’s eyes widened a fraction. Move on…right. He was holding onto something that shouldn’t affect him as much as it did. It felt like a punch in the gut, but he was sure Hank didn’t mean it in a rude way. Though for some reason the realization that what he said was correct, it stung. He wasn’t acting professionally; he wasn’t acting like an android. Stricken, Connor kept his gaze firmly on his hands, unsure where else to look now. If he looked into Hank’s eyes now, he would surely fall apart. “I think I might go and look at the evidence we’ve collected so far. See if I can make any connections.” Connor stood up and put his hands behind his back. Hank squinted up at him, as if analyzing him, and his blue eyes felt piercing under the circumstances.

“Okay…I’ll be right here if you need anything,” he nodded his head towards his desk, and Connor could see he wanted to say more but didn’t. “I won’t be long,” Connor promised, before he turned and walked away. Thankfully Hank didn’t follow him. If he did, Connor wasn’t sure if he could hold it together. He didn’t feel…right. Connor pressed a hand to his stomach as he trudged over to the evidence room.

When he made it to the door, he was aware of someone’s gaze on him. Connor turned and pinpointed it with ease. Nines walked towards him with his hands loosely behind his back. The desire to go into the evidence room and ignore his brother was great, but he stood still as a statue while he approached. Connor still had his hands behind his back, and he held them together tightly, unable to tear his eyes away from the scrutiny Nines’ stared at him with.

“What do you want?” Connor asked icily.

“Connor there is no need to be cold towards me. I was simply showing my dislike for you trying to interrogate me.”

Connor ground his teeth as he stared up at the taller, updated version of himself. Sometimes he liked having Nines around, he kept Gavin at bay most of the time. But, his callous, non-caring attitude made it harder to work with him. He wondered sometimes if Nines was even a deviant.

“You made a fool of me, Nines. So, I do have a reason to be ‘cold’ towards you.”

The RK900 uncrossed his arms and moved closer towards Connor. He stiffened up and tried to escape into the evidence room, expecting Nines to grab his hand and forcibly interface with him again. But he simply ducked his head to speak with Connor, concern laced his voice. “I just came to warn you is all. I became worried when I scanned you and noticed that stab wound in your side. It’s leaking thirium, enough that it is visible through your shirt,” he pointed out. 

Connor’s hand dropped from the doorknob he had been gripping tightly and set his jaw as he stared up at his brother. “I don’t need your help,” he hissed, though he did keek at his side. Nines was right, of course. Thirium had begun to soak through the sweatshirt he wore.

“I assume you know about it then,” Nines ventured, to which Connor jerked his head up and glowered at him. “Yes, I did! I know I have to get it fixed, so don’t spout that crap at me either!”

Nines snorted, “I fear you’ve been hanging around your human too much. You are starting to sound like him as well.” His blue eyes traveled back down to the wound nonetheless, and the air around him turned grimmer. “You are not working at full capacity, brother. This could be detrimental to your work.”

“You think I’m not aware?” He spat out, “I’ll get it repaired soon enough. I don’t need your sympathy.”

“You should report to CyberLife for repairs. I am sure they would be delighted to fix it,” the tone was borderline malicious in intent, but Connor knew Nines didn’t mean it that way. He just liked to toy with Connor by prodding at his emotions.

“Nines, you’re joking! I am the android who infiltrated CyberLife tower! I’m their little deviant hunter turned deviant! If I go back, they could try to upload me into a new body and reverse my deviancy!”

“It was a joke, perhaps made in poor taste given your panicked reaction.”

As they sized one another up silently, Connor grew more desperate by the second. He couldn’t waste time on this, and Nines, no matter how much Connor hated to admit it, was right. He should have dealt with this wound earlier and now it affected him. And he needed to get it fixed quick, and there was no way in hell he wanted to tell Hank about it. Connor bit down on his lip and crossed his arms over his chest, “I need your help, brother. Please. I just need something to solder up the puncture in my chassis.”

“I would hate to make a fool out of you again though,” he replied, and if Connor wasn’t mistaken, he sounded wry. Guess it was to be expected. Connor gritted his teeth and set his shoulders, “Please. I don’t want Hank to know. He’s already worried about me.”

Nines stared down at him hard, and Connor expected a refusal almost immediately. But the other android reached out and ruffled Connor’s hair. He flinched at the touch but didn’t pull away. It was a step. “Fine. Just don’t…start crying or anything. I despise crying.”

Connor nodded and broke out into a small, relieved smile, “Thank you. I know we haven’t always been on the best terms, but I really appreciate this. I’ll wait for you in the evidence room.”

Once Nines had left, Connor went inside the evidence room and pressed himself against the door. He covered his eyes with a long, trembling breath. He had to ask for help…from Nines. The feeling of betrayal mixed with resignation welled up within him and he cursed himself for it. The thought that Nines could see through him so easily made him believe he really was pathetic. He was falling apart.

Connor shook his head and groaned. He should have told Hank; he should’ve marched up to his partner and just admitted that he needed the help. Instead, he submitted to Nines, who he had just failed to interrogate. Connor didn’t know how to control his emotions and it made him worse at the job he was assigned to do.

He wasn’t a human, he didn’t have real skin or a beating heart, or real emotions that worked like they were supposed to. And he wasn’t really just an android either, all hard plastic and watered-down reactions. He was some kind of sick in-between. Maybe CyberLife was correct in their assumptions that androids with emotions would just tear them apart. It was…hard. There were so many of them and trying to sort through them when you’ve only felt them for three months was difficult beyond belief. Connor tried to act like a human, but he wasn’t one. Not really. And he could never go back to just being an android. Was this really what deviancy felt like? Connor didn’t want to feel the negative emotions anymore. Didn’t want to have to rifle through the sadness and anger that threatened to overload his systems and overflow out of him. The tears, the frantic need to feel something good, the fury lying just underneath the surface of his skin, his fists flying at anything that moved. Hank said it was apart of having feelings, but he wasn’t so sure if this is what Connor wanted when he became a deviant.

Connor moved away from the door and slunk over to the evidence panel. How was he supposed to work correctly when he couldn’t just diagnose the problem and remove it? Humans made emotions seems so simple. So why couldn’t emotions just be like an actual error or malfunction that he could just smooth out or turn off?!

The door behind him opened and Connor whirled around to face it, his thirium pump racing. He half-expected it to be Hank or even Gavin, but it was Nines. He carried a blowtorch, a metal rod, and a rag.

“This is all I had on such short notice. I use it for when I get damaged on the job,” Nines explained as he studied Connor’s bewildered face. He didn’t like the way he said that, but Connor couldn’t complain when Nines had agreed to help him. 

“Sit on the panel and take your shirt off while I heat up the metal,” RK900 ordered, his voice left no room for argument. Connor hesitated, before he nodded and hopped up on the edge of the panel. Nines clicked the blowtorch on, a blue flame appeared at the tip and he applied it to the metal rod. It wasn’t exactly CyberLife repairs, but anything to stop the loss of his thirium.

Connor removed his sweatshirt, then his t-shirt and tossed them both to the ground next to Nines’ feet. The shirt was completely soaked in blue on one side. Connor knew the wound had been leaking, but he hadn’t really paid attention to how much. He had other objectives on his mind, and he ignored the notifications that had popped up in his HUD about it. He turned his head and lifted his arm so he could peel off the bandage Hank had applied to the damage. The thing barely clung to his skin, as it had soaked up quite a bit of thirium. He tossed that into his dirty clothes on the floor as well.

“You’re very lucky that you didn’t get stabbed in a more vital area. It could’ve hit a major biocomponent,” Nines stated as he turned off the blowtorch he wielded. The end of the metal rod was glowing orange, and Connor looked away from it.

“Take in a deep breath and hold it,” RK900 instructed. It wasn’t for his own benefit, of course. Connor didn’t need to breathe really, so it was just a formality. But he did what he was told, his LED spun yellow and then red as the hot metal neared his side. “Your stress levels are increasing. Try to stay calm.”

Connor couldn’t feel pain, but he could feel heat. And that metal was hot enough to melt skin off a human, so of course when he touched his revealed chassis, he winced. It was just something human-like that was programmed into him. Which, of course, would make Nines roll his eyes.

Nines began soldering the wound closed with pinpoint accuracy, though Connor wasn’t really watching. He just waited until it was over, and he grew more antsy by the second. Nines wasn’t even halfway finished before the door to the evidence room slid open. They both froze and Nines pulled the metal away from Connor’s casing. They looked to the door and saw Hank stood there. Connor felt instant guilt clawing at him. What a scene the lieutenant walked in on. One thing was for certain though. Connor had never seen Hank move so fast in his short life. Even Nines is unprepared. Either that, or he allowed Hank to grab him by his shirt collar and haul him away from Connor.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” He snarled out, practically lifting Nines off the ground. The android did not fight back, merely stared at Hank with a neutral mask. Connor was quick to jump off the control panel, though it made his systems shudder and a red haze settled over his HUD. He stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

“Shit, Connor!” Hank was quick to release Nines and moved straight for Connor. He caught the android before he fell to the ground, holding him up by his biceps and looking into his brown eyes. “That fucker didn’t hurt you, did he?”

This had to be the worst possible outcome to the current situation. Connor had hoped to fix everything without involving Hank and then he wouldn’t have to worry. But now…that was out of the question. Especially with the warning that his thirium was dangerously low. That really put a wrench in his plans. That and Nines.

“Your partner had not closed up a breach in his chassis. He preferred not to alert you about it, so he asked me for assistance,” Nines explained calmly as he fixed his jacket.

It took Hank a moment, the gears turned in his head as he looked over at Nines, then at Connor once more. The only thing Connor could do in his current status was just sit miserably in Hank’s arms and wait for the berating to come. He knew that he should have told Hank, but god. He didn’t want to worry the man, as if he hadn’t already done that enough. Once it finally clicked in place, Hank’s eyes widened a fraction, “you mean the stab wound?”

Hank’s heart-rate was through the roof, and his stress levels were above human average. And Connor couldn’t do a damn thing about it because he’s the one who caused it. Connor gave him a frown, one that probably looked extremely pathetic, before he spoke.

“It is the stab wound. I needed to go and get repairs…but I was scared. So, I asked Nines to close the puncture point. I didn’t want you to worry,” he added miserably, “I’m sorry Hank.”

The mixed look of shock and indignation is prevalent in Hank’s face as he stared down at Connor in his grasp. “Fuck, I forgot all about it! We’ve been so busy with the case, and I thought-“

Connor cut him off before he could finish the sentence, “that it would heal up like a human would?”

Before Hank could even form a proper reaction, Nines piped up, “should I finish closing it up then, Connor?” He looked between them with a slightly exasperated expression, and honestly, it made Connor feel raw and exposed.

“No, you won’t be,” Hank growled out before Connor could reply. He kept a firm grasp on Connor as if he knew that if he let go, Connor would sink to his knees. He blocked Nines from going even remotely close to his brother and glared at him over his shoulder.

Nines’ eyes narrowed, “he will keep losing thirium if the wound stays open. It doesn’t hurt him-"

“I don’t give a damn! I don’t want you anywhere near him with a metal rod!”

“Hank!” Connor protested, fidgeting in his grip. He needed Nines to fix him, if he didn’t fix him then he would have to go to CyberLife. And then who knows what they would do to him. They could erase his memory, turn him back into a machine. He was terrified that they would make him into a monster again-

“Then I’ll take my leave,” Nines huffed out and he set down the tool he had. Once RK900 was out the door, Connor peered up at Hank’s face from where he stood. He expected him to be livid. Connor had kept something from him once again, lied to his face. Hank had every right to be angry with him. But as Connor gazed up at his face, Hank’s expression was frustratingly blank, almost guarded.

Connor wanted to tear himself from Hank’s grasp, to get angry, to be livid himself. Because Nines knew what he was doing, he was going to save him from a trip to CyberLife, the very people that tried to get him to kill and murder deviants, to take over a revolution in the making. But he couldn’t force himself…to be angry with Hank. He just couldn’t. Not after Connor didn’t tell him about this, not after he hid it. It would be…unjust for Connor to take out his fear and trepidation on Hank.

“Hank, I needed Nines to close up my rupture. Why would you do that?” Connor asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Hank looked over him silently, eyes giving him a ruminative once-over before settling on his face. When those blue eyes landed on the half-soldered stab wound, a stricken look crossed over his face. “I’ll finished what he started,” Hank finally said, voice thick with unsaid emotions. Connor watched him quietly, he was afraid to break the silence. He hadn’t expected this turn of events, but he wasn’t going to complain if Hank was offering help. He just…didn’t think that Hank would extend an offer like that. Maybe he was underestimating him too often. 

Hank let out a grunt and slowly lowered Connor to the ground and crouched beside him. He grabbed the discarded rag and reached out to clean the thirium up that had leaked out of the wound. Connor kept completely still, not even bothering to breathe at this point. Connor should really have more faith in the lieutenant. Connor turned his head to watch Hank’s hand as he began to wipe away the thirium around the stab wound. His touch was gentle and feather-light, like he was afraid to hurt Connor. He had never been cared for like this. Even after he was shot at CyberLife tower, Jericho didn’t even treat him with this much hesitance and care. His thirium pump stuttered and his eyes were drawn up to Hank’s face. Connor didn’t dare look away, he studied Hank’s facial features without a word. To commit him to memory.

“I wish you would’ve told me about this. I’m sure you were getting some kind of notifications about it,” Hank grumbled, seemingly unaware or ignoring Connor’s brown eyes on him.

“I didn’t want to worry you. The notifications just started popping up within the last two days or so,” it was a lie, but he preferred to keep Hank in the dark then even more upset than he presumed he was. Hank glanced up at him skeptically, it was clear he didn’t believe Connor. But he didn’t point it out, thankfully. Connor was grateful Hank had barriers and that he didn’t prod too much.

Hank’s hands had a slight tremble to them, and Connor wasn’t sure if it was because of his age or he was actually nervous about what he was going to do in mere moments. He heated up the end of the metal rod and brought it close to Connor’s revealed chassis.

“This…doesn’t hurt you, right?” He questioned uncertainly. Connor shook his head with a reassuring smile, “no, it doesn’t hurt. I don’t feel a thing.”

That didn’t stop Hank’s heart from racing, as he pressed the heated edge against Connor’s chassis tentatively. Connor could feel the heat against his plastic, but it wasn’t just from the metal. His cheeks were aflame, and he had no idea why. It made him glad for the low lighting in the evidence room, or else Hank would see the blue blush adorning his cheeks. He pulled his arm up to watch Hank solder the wound closed, to make sure he didn’t mess anything up. Hank concentrated hard on what he was doing, his hands still shaking as he melted the casing back together. It was a weirdly intimate moment, even though it shouldn’t be.

“Thank you, lieutenant. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Connor murmured as Hank finished up and let the metal clang to the floor.

“Kid, listen. You gotta have more trust in me. I had no idea you were suffering in silence like this. How am I supposed to help you if you don’t tell me?”

“I wasn’t suffering. Besides the loss in thirium-"

“That’s not what I mean! For fuck sake’s, Connor. You knew it was there! You had an open wound that was hindering you and you thought it wasn’t important enough to tell me?! Your partner?”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Connor reiterated miserably.

Hank’s nostrils flared and he took a deep breath, “I understand that, I really do. But I would rather be fuckin’ worried about you than be in the dark when something’s hurting you.”

Connor knew Hank was trying his hardest to stay calm, and even though he wanted to correct him about Connor not feeling pain, he refrained. If the lieutenant could make an effort, so could he.

“I know, I should have told you. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you should have told me,” he muttered, before he picked up the thirium soaked rag and wiped off Connor’s side once again. As if he couldn’t bare to look into the android’s eyes, that he needed something to do instead.

Hank got to his feet and offered both hands to help Connor up. After a second of consideration, he accepted the help and let the human haul him to his feet. He wobbled dangerously and Hank used that as leverage to yank Connor forward into a body-crushing hug. It was warm, Hank was warm. His body was soft, and it felt so right. Connor wrapped his arms tightly around him after a moment and clutched his shirt. God, he could hug Hank all day if the man allowed him. He was comfort, he felt like home. It didn’t last nearly as long as Connor wanted it, but it was better than nothing. It seemed Hank’s hugs always made him feel better. Hank slid his hands up to Connor’s shoulders and looked into his eyes. Hank’s irises were a wonderful shade of blue, not like Nines, which were icy blue. His were warm, like a clear sky on a sunny afternoon. Connor liked those eyes.

“Please Connor. I care about you…as my partner. I don’t like seeing you hurt,” Hank squeezed his shoulders with a slightly pained smile directed at him. Connor could feel the warmth seeping from Hank’s large hands, and it eased his tense shoulders even more.

“I care about you too, lieutenant. I’m sorry I kept this from you.”

“Stop apologizing, Con. It’s okay.” Hank nodded firmly before he let him go. The imprint of his warmth stuck to Connor’s synthetic skin, and he mourned the loss.

“Um…Hank, I hate to ask. But do you have any spare clothes I could possibly borrow? Mine are currently—indisposed,” Connor bent down and picked up his shirt and sweatshirt to show off the blue blood soaking through them.

“Yeah, I should have a sweatshirt on the back of my chair. Grab your thirium to drink and let’s go back and sit down. Unless you really were gonna look at the evidence?”

“No, we can go,” Connor replied as he snatched up the bag of thirium Nines’ had brought him. It was even cold; he would have to thank his brother later. He clutched his clothes to his chest while they left the evidence room and went over to their desks. Hank yanked his sweatshirt off the back of his chair and tossed it to Connor. The android caught it easily as he sat his soiled ones down along with the thirium pouch.

“Hank, if you don’t have a spare-“

“Connor shut it. Don’t give me another spiel today, please. Just take the damn sweatshirt.”

Connor hesitated as he felt the fabric under his synthetic fingertips. Hank watched him with raised eyebrows, and he fidgeted under his gaze, “thank you, lieutenant. I really appreciate it.”

He slipped it on over his head, and it was definitely too big for him. It cascaded down over his thighs and the sleeves almost swallowed his hands up completely. He shoved the sleeves up to his elbows and let out a small chuckle. Hank was just a little bigger than him. With that in order, he picked up his thirium pouch and uncapped it to take a long gulp.

“We should get these reports filed about Gabriel’s death,” Connor stated as he moved to his own desk. He interfaced with his computer and peered over at Hank. The human typed on his computer silently, but he kept casting side-long glances at Connor when he thought the android wasn’t looking. As if Connor couldn’t see him do it every single time. As if he was worried. Connor felt a warmth in his chest, and he wondered why he kept anything from Hank in the first place.

Time dragged on and they sat in comfortable silence. Hank even invited him onto his lunch break, and they had small talk and Connor felt pretty good. Like everything was normal again, for once. That there wasn’t some terrible killer on the loose they had to worry about. He knew it wouldn’t last at all, but at least he could enjoy Hank’s company and forget about his job for a few hours. Soon it was time to get off work, Hank packed up for the night. He stretched and glanced over at Connor, “you ready to go?” He dragged Connor’s attention away from his computer, and he squinted up at the lieutenant. He wasn’t working on anything amazing, but he also hadn’t turned in his reports that were needed by tonight. “I’ll meet you in the car. I need to turn in my report from the last homicide.”

“Can’t you just…I don’t know, send it in with your head?”

Connor gave him a bewildered look, “I suppose I could. But I really should correct it on my computer.”

Hank merely shrugged his shoulders with a sigh, “alright, I’ll be outside then.”

Connor pulled up his report on the screen and read it over. Nines had already turned his in and Connor could see it. It made his blood boil. He was about to click on it, but he stopped short when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It was late, most of the human employees had left. All the androids were either in a docking station or patrolling the halls. So, it was unexpected to see someone prowling about in the main bullpen. Connor glanced up and caught sight of Nines slinking past. His steps were purposeful yet quiet, and he didn’t even notice Connor as he moved. So much for a superior model. He must be very distracted.

Connor knew he should mind his own business, Nines tried to help him earlier. They were on agreeable terms once again, and Connor had no reason to distrust him. But he just wondered where Nines would be going this late at night when he was usually in stasis by now over at the docking station. Connor didn’t want to ruin the peaceful nature they have established, but the way Nines snuck by, like he had something to hide? It rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe he wasn’t doing something wrong, but Connor had a gut feeling that something was up.

Determined to figure it out, Connor stood up after Nines had left the bullpen. He texted Hank and told him he had a lot more work than he realized, and that he should head home without him. He was hesitant to send it, as it was yet another lie. But if he told Hank the truth, he would either dissuade him or try to follow him. And neither of those were good options. There was no way he would put Hank in danger, not willingly.

So, he sent the text and didn’t wait for a reply as he stalked out of the station. Nines hadn’t gotten far luckily. But it forced Connor to stop and hide in the shadow of the station. Nines stood with Gavin on the edge of the stairs. Gavin was one or two steps above Nines, so they were even heights. Connor stifled a snort at the ridiculous position. Of course, Gavin didn’t like to be shorter than his partner. The human nursed a cigarette, and the butt of it lit up Nines’ face.

They murmured lowly to one another and Connor wished desperately that he could hear what they said. But he couldn’t get too close, Nines would discover him easily. He just needed to stay outside his literal radar. It had to be the same as Connor’s. It wasn’t long before they started to walk. To where? Connor was unsure, but after a minute, he followed. He kept on the outskirts of Nines’ radar, just making sure he could keep an eye on them from afar. Connor pulled his hood up over his head.

He didn’t want Nines to get suspicious, though the way his stress levels were fluctuating, it was clear he knew something was amiss. This had Connor lagging behind further. Where were they walking too? Why didn’t they just take a car? What if Nines knew they were being tailed? Would Connor be able to fight them if they discovered him? Connor knew he shouldn’t have followed them. He should’ve listened to Hank. But he was here now, and he would figure out what they were up to.

Within five minutes, they all ended up in a familiar park. The one where Hank had threatened Connor with a gun. It felt surreal to come back to the park, especially without Hank at his side. Things were so different now. He was glad that Hank didn’t shoot him back then. What would that have made him into? He had been in his baby steps of discovering his deviancy back then, would it have turned him back into a machine?

Nines and Gavin looked different from when they were at work. Calmer, far less bristling and even…relaxed. Connor assumed they were friends of some sort. And being friends with Gavin Reed would never bode well. Connor once again had to remind himself that it wasn’t that he didn’t trust his co-workers, but that they were the only suspects Gabriel could point out. If nothing came of his tailing, no one would be the wiser and Connor would have a load off his shoulders.

Connor moved to stand behind the playground set and watched the two walk and laugh together. That was clear indicator number one that Connor shouldn’t be here. But he didn’t budge yet. He wanted 100% certainty about their intentions, to put his suspicions to rest. They must have a reason to be at the park.

They both sat down on the edge of a fountain in the middle of the park. They spoke in low tones…well, Nines mostly spoke. His mouth was close to Gavin’s ear and he placed a hand on Gavin’s thigh. It didn’t take an android to understand what was going on. Connor might have a one-track mind, but he understood exactly what was happening. Nines leaned over and pulled the detective into a kiss.

Connor immediately felt like he was invading their privacy, so he turned away. Anger towards himself rose in his throat. Anguish and guilt. How could he not see this?! All the signs were there, and he chose to ignore them! He was so absorbed with the case and getting justice for Gabriel that he didn’t even see what was right in front of him. The reason they were at that hotel prior? Probably for some kind of romantic escapade. 

Connor wasn’t fit for his job anymore; something was wrong with him. He needed to leave, and he would have to admit what he did and apologize. To Gavin, to Nines, and to Hank. He shouldn’t have doubted his co-workers, they’ve never done anything to deserve this. Even Gavin was better than he once was.

Connor was about to sneak off, call a cab and go home. But something stopped him. There was someone on his radar, an android by the looks of it. They were closer to Connor than Nines, so it was only way he picked them up. He craned his head and peered over at the android. They wore a beanie, so he couldn’t see their LED. But they were also watching Gavin and Nines. Who-

“I can see you over there,” Nines called out and Connor froze up. He had no idea if his brother was talking to him or the other android in the vicinity. He assumed it was himself, so Connor prepared to come out with his hands up.

“Come out right now, so we can arrest your ass!” Gavin barked out, and they both stood up to face the other android that was hiding. Connor’s eyes widened and he couldn’t help but wonder what this was? Was it some kind of…ruse? To get someone arrested? Did he just walk in on Nines and Gavin’s sting operation?

There was some rustling in the bushes where the android hid, before it turned and ran. “Babe, get after it!” Gavin yelled out and Nines took off like a bullet. Connor stood up from where he was and zoomed after them as well. It was hard to catch up with Nines, but he managed it. The assailant wasn’t too far ahead. But they weaved through parked cars and lampposts like he was a professional android athlete. 

“Connor, I didn’t appreciate you following me at first, but now I’m glad you did,” Nines stated calmly, and Connor flinched.

“I’m sorry brother, I promise it will never happen again,” he told him, before they both watched the android take a running jump down an alley. The RK brothers quickly change directory and they burst into the alley. The android was currently scaling one of the apartment buildings, and Nines snapped into action quickly. It took Connor a little longer to predict which way he needed to go. He watched Nines start to climb while his software planned out the best route.

It only took a second, one _whole_ second. One moment Connor was staring up at the buildings where Nines and the perp were climbing, the next second he heard a sickening crunch. His hearing and his vision went dark as he smashed into the ground. He pressed his hands against the pavement and tried to get up as red flashed in his dark vision. He was leaking thirium, there was breach in the back of his head.

He blinked a few times to try and get his optical units to start back up. His hearing was muffled, but he could make out a couple sinister laughs and the sound of metal scraping against pavement. Someone was talking to him, but he couldn’t make out the words. There was a rush of air, before something slammed into the side of his face. A blood red warning popped up and informed him that his left optical unit was non-functioning from extreme damage. A boot came down on his hand and he let out a hiss even though he couldn’t feel the pain.

The blow to the back of his head is what was causing most of his issues. It felt like it knocked a couple screws loose, literally. Thirium was leaking from his head. He had an actual shut-down timer and he was terrified. Who would do this? Did that android have more friends waiting for an ambush? He tried to struggle away from the people to no avail.

He felt hands grab at the sweatshirt he was wearing and haul him to his feet. It helped with his other eye and he was able to get it to turn on. His vision in the one eye was a staticky red and he could barely make out who was in front of him.

There was a yell at the mouth of the alley, and Connor was relieved when the assailant let him go. He slid to the ground and pressed his free hand to his crushed eye. His hearing was still muffled, but he could make out a few people scuffling around. When he looked up again, Gavin’s face appeared in his vision. He had a busted lip and the makings of a black eye as he gave Connor a worried look. “Connor, shit! Are you okay? Nines is calling back-up!”

Connor watched his time tick down on imminent shutdown, and he desperately wished Hank was here, before his head lolled forward and he went into power-saving mode.


End file.
